Box Score LOUISVILLE, Ky. --- The Bellarmine University women's basketball team continued their impressive play on Sunday afternoon, pulling out a 73-66 victory over Millersville University in Knights Hall in day one action of the 2012 MetroMedical Solutions New Year's Classic.

With the win Bellarmine improves to 9-1 on the season, their best 10-game start since 2008-09. After the game Coach Chancellor Dugan praised her team's effort against a high caliber opponent. “The thing I'm most proud about this win is that it was a team effort. We played great defense on their bigs and everyone boxed out on the glass.”

Sophomore forward Darion Hutchinson continued her stellar play of recent by registering her fourth straight double-double, scoring 12 points and pulling down a career-high 18 rebounds. The 18 boards are tied for eighth most in a single game in program history and puts the Scottsburg, Ind. native alongside BU Hall of Famers Sharonda (O'Bannon) Morton and Michelle (Weakley) Fries in the record books.

Millersville (6-2), whose only previous loss was by two points to No. 8 Gannon University while also owning a victory over sixteenth ranked Bloomsburg, pushed the game into a frantic pace during the outset and enjoyed a comfortable lead for the game's first 12 minutes.

The Knights would go on a 17-5 run over the final eight minutes of the half to take a four point lead into the break, a lead that they would never give back. During the intermission Dugan had a very simple message for her team, “Slow down.” Adding, “We let them control the pace at the beginning and it really took us out of our game plan.”

Out of halftime, the Knights took back control of the game by  holding Millersville without a field goal for the first five minutes, building a 42-35 lead. The lead continued to grow for Dugan's squad, as the Knights led by as many as 17 when Kylie Brady hit a three-pointer from the corner to make it 54-37 with 12:43 to play.

“Once we settled in the girls moved the ball and found each other for open shots,” said Dugan. 

Millersville would not go down without a fight though, as they turned up the pressure down the stretch to climb back into the game. The Marauders cut the lead to five several times, but the Knights would not let them get any closer.

Led by Hutchinson, the Knights won the battle of the boards in convincing fashion 49-38. Morgan Clemons had 8 rebounds of her own with five coming on the offensive side, to go along with 8 points. Both teams came into the game on the plus side of the rebounding margin with Bellarmine ranking 4th in the nation at a +13.9 advantage while MU was 33rd in the country with a +7.8 advantage.

Brady was the game's top scorer with a season-high 19 points on 6-9 shooting from the field. The senior now sits at 992 career points, needing eight more to become the program's 25th member of the 1,000 point club. Therese Montano chipped in 16 points as the only other Knight to reach double-figures.

Bellarmine returns to the hardwood tomorrow to close out the year and the MetroMedical Solutions Classic as they take on Alabama-Huntsville at 3:00 p.m.

Box Score