LOUISVILLE, Ky. — When discussing her Bellarmine University women's basketball team's schedule in the preseason, BU Coach Chancellor Dugan recalled with clarity how the block of Great Lakes Valley Conference games that the Knights are set to enter grabbed her attention when she first glanced at the slate.

It's easy to understand why. After opening league play with two contests at home, the Knights (7-3, 2-0 GLVC) are embarking on a five-game road trip, which begins at 6:30 p.m. (ET) on Thursday at Missouri S&T (4-7, 0-3) and continues at 2 p.m. on Saturday at Drury (9-2, 3-0). Following outings at Indianapolis, St. Joseph's and Southern Indiana, BU will finally return to Knights Hall for a Jan. 22 matchup against Lewis.
 

The good news is that Bellarmine hits the road after a terrific first weekend in GLVC action. A positive trend that the Knights will look to continue is exceptional play in the second halves of games — BU outscored Rockhurst 44-37 on Friday and William Jewell 57-36 on Sunday after the intermissions on its way to 74-66 and 96-77 victories. The Knights are seeking their first 3-0 start in league play since the 2003-04 season and are one of six GLVC teams who have haven't lost a conference game.

In the latter win, seven different Bellarmine players scored in double figures and the Knights posted season highs in points, rebounds and assists. Sophomore guard Destony Curry has scored in double digits in four straight games, sophomore guard and leading scorer Whitney Hartlage (12.3 points per game) has drilled 22 3-pointers, senior forward Morgan Clemons is seventh in the GLVC in rebounding (7.1), and junior point guard Mackenzie Martinez remains BU's top distributor (4.3 assists, fourth in GLVC) and pickpocket (2.2 steals, third in GLVC).

In addition to strong play after halftime, Bellarmine has also improved thus far this season on its free throw shooting, an area the Knights surely must maintain during this pivotal road stretch. BU is sinking nearly 75 percent of its attempts from the charity stripe, with junior guard Mariah Gador draining a perfect 16 of 16 from the line.

Missouri S&T is searching for its first GLVC victory of the season after dropping decisions to Drury (80-58), St. Joseph's (60-55) and Indianapolis (69-57), with the latter two comprising its most recent games. No player on the Miners averages double figures in the scoring column, but the team boasts six who are putting up 6.2 points or better. Six-foot-4 junior forward Leigh-Ann Kesper paces the team at 9.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game and has accumulated a GLVC-best 30 blocks.

Drury moved up one spot in this week's national poll to No. 15. The Panthers welcome Southern Indiana to the O'Reilly Family Event Center on Thursday before meeting the Knights on Saturday. Drury notched two decisive GLVC victories last weekend in Indianapolis, routing UIndy 78-56 and St. Joseph's 74-53. The Panthers opened league play on Dec. 4 with an 80-58 win over Missouri S&T.

Like Bellarmine, Drury is highly balanced, as six different players average 7.4 points or better. Junior guard Annie Armstrong (13.5 points, GLVC-best 97.7 free throw percentage), senior center Sanayika Shields (12.0, 9.4 rebounds) and junior guard Addy Roller (10.4, 3.5 assists) have helped the Panthers average 80.4 points per game, second in the GLVC. Drury leads the conference in free throw shooting at 82.9 percent and turnover margin (plus-5.64).

Bellarmine (7-3, 2-0 GLVC) at Missouri S&T (4-7, 0-3)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 8
Tip-off: 6:30 p.m. (ET)
Location: Gale Bullman Multi-Purpose Building
Live stats: Here
Video: Here
Audio: Here
Radio: 94.7 FM (broadcast delayed until 7 p.m.)
 
Bellarmine at Drury
Date: Saturday, Jan. 10
Tip-off: 2 p.m. (ET)
Location: O'Reilly Family Event Center
Live stats: Here
Audio: Here
Radio: 94.7 FM