Box Score Rensselaer, Ind. — In the first game of their final three-game stretch of the season, the Bellarmine University women's basketball team fought through a tough Great Lakes Valley Conference game against Saint Joseph's College, and claimed a 65-63 win on Thursday evening at the Richard F. Scharf Alumni Fieldhouse in Rensselaer, Ind. Senior guard Kelsey Lamb was perfect from the floor for the Knights, scoring 13 points, grabbing seven rebounds, with a pair of steals and a pair of assists.

"Any win on the road is nice," said head coach Chancellor Dugan. "This win is critical as we head to the postseason this will make the trip home much better.

Senior guard Therese Montano scored nine points in the second half and hit nine straight critical free throws to help Bellarmine secure the win.

"It was a big night for our seniors. They really carried us tonight in the second half," said Dugan.

Neither team shot the ball well in the first 20 minutes of play, each with field goal percentages of under 40 percent from the floor. Bellarmine held a 37.9 to 35.7 percent advantage over Saint Joseph's in that category.

With 9:19 left on the clock in the first period, Bellarmine found themselves tied with the 6-18 Pumas, 12-12. A minute later, sophomore forward Sarah Galvin put in her first two points of the contest and sparked a 13-0 Knights run over the next four minutes. Three straight three-pointers gave Bellarmine a quick lead over the home side, a lead they would keep for the final minutes of the half. The Knights took a 32-27 lead to the locker rooms.

Bellarmine (13-11, 9-7 GLVC) went 4-for-7 (57.1 percent) from behind the arc and was 6-for-11 (54.5 percent) from the free-throw line. Saint Joseph's missed all of their four three-pointers and were 7-for-13 (53.8 percent) from the stripe.

The struggles from the field continued for both sides of the ball through the second half. A stretch of 0-for-6 shooting by the Knights allowed the Pumas to scrap their way back into the game. Saint Joseph's went on a 10-0 run over that stretch and turned a 33-40 deficit into a 43-40 advantage with 11:35 to play in the game, their first lead since a 4-0 edge in the opening minutes of the game.

With 5:16 remaining, the Knights faced a 48-53 deficit after they surrendered the lead six minutes earlier. However, Bellarmine proved that they had another comeback in them. The Knights went on a 9-0 run, including five points and a steal by Montano, and surged back into the lead, 57-53 with 3:08 to play.

Bellarmine increased their lead to seven, 64-57, with 1:12 until the final buzzer on a pair of free throws by Montano, but Saint Joseph's made it interesting in the game's final moments. Two three-pointers by the Pumas put the late pressure on the Knights, but Bellarmine hung on for a 65-63 win.

The Knights finished 23-for-58 (39.7 percent) from the floor, 4-for-15 (26.7 percent) from three, and 15-for-22 (68.2 percent) from the line.  Despite the shooting woes, Bellarmine won the battle on the boards, 43-37, with 11 offensive rebounds, had 14 points off turnovers to the Pumas' eight, and had a 30-26 edge in the paint.

Saint Joseph's (6-18, 3-14 GLVC) shot 21-for-54 (38.9 percent) for the game, 5-for-16 (31.3 percent) from three, and 16-for-27 (59.3 percent) from the free-throw line.

Each team finished with 14 assists and 23 fouls. The Pumas had seven steals and the Knights, six. Bellarmine had 15 turnovers and Saint Joseph's gave it away 11 times.

In her 25 minutes on the court for the Knights, Lamb was 6-for-6 from the field on a night in which the rest of the team struggled to hit shots. Freshman guard Destony Curry led Bellarmine with 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting (2-for-5 from downtown), with nine rebounds and two assists. Montano finished with 13 points. Galvin scored eight points and pulled down nine boards.

Saint Joseph's was led by sophomore guard Courtney Kvachkoff's 19 points, and her 3-for-9 mark from beyond the arc. Senior forward Jasmyne Reynolds had 13 and senior guard Kiki Lyons had 12 points and four assists.

The Knights will travel to No. 23 Indianapolis on Saturday for a 5:30 p.m. tip. Indianapolis got the best of Bellarmine 86-72 on Jan. 16.

BOX SCORE