LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In its season debut, most everybody on the Bellarmine University women's basketball team played plenty of minutes. That translated to plenty of points as well.

On Sunday afternoon at Knights Hall, four players scored in double figures for Bellarmine and 13 entered the scoring column overall as the Knights cruised to a 96-50 victory over turnover-prone Bluefield State.

Bellarmine (1-0) opened the game on a 14-0 run and never looked back against the Blues (0-1). The Knights led 24-13 after the first quarter, 41-19 at the intermission and then shot 70 percent in the second half while racking up their highest point total since scoring 96 last season on Jan. 4 against William Jewell. BU's margin of victory surpassed 40 for the first time since a 74-33 pasting of Berea in late November of 2012.

In her first game back after missing all of last season due to injury, junior forward Sarah Galvin tied for team-high scoring honors with junior guard Whitney Hartlage with 14 points. Sophomore guard and reigning Great Lakes Valley Conference co-Freshman of the Year Raven Merriweather added 13 and junior guard Destony Curry chipped in 12. Senior forward Nicole Bryant nearly gave the Knights a fifth double-digit scorer, collecting nine points.

Bellarmine turned 37 Bluefield State turnovers into 47 points. The Knights piled up 22 steals, with Hartlage notching six, senior guard Mackenzie Martinez tallying four and Galvin recording three. Martinez led BU with six assists as the Knights accumulated 30 overall, many of which came off easy fast-break baskets following steals.

After struggling from the 3-point line in the first half, Bellarmine sank 6 of 12 shots from long range in the second half. Seven different Knights hit a trifecta, with Hartlage and Merriweather burying a pair apiece. Overall, BU canned 21-of-30 shots in the second half, finishing strong by outscoring the Blues 29-12 in the final period.

That's also how Bellarmine started the game. Bryant opened the scoring with a jumper, Hartlage and Galvin combined for eight points, Galvin spotted Merriweather for a layup and junior guard Kelsey Adwell had a steal and lay-in for a 14-0 lead less than six minutes into the game.

Sophomore forward Brooke Valentine stuck a putback for a 20-point lead in the second quarter, and Merriweather drained a 3-pointer as the advantage swelled to 35 in the third quarter.

Bellarmine will play at 5 p.m. (ET) Saturday at Lee (Tenn.).

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