CLEVELAND, Tenn. — Junior forward
Sarah Galvin and junior guard
Destony Curry combined for 40 points and 11 steals as the Bellarmine University women's basketball team built a big lead and held off Lee's late charge for an 84-76 road victory on Saturday.
For the second straight game, Bellarmine (2-0) had four players score in double figures. Galvin paced the Knights with 21 points behind 11-for-12 shooting from the free throw line. She also had seven steals and seven rebounds. Curry posted 19 points backed by a trio of 3-pointers and a 4-of-4 outing from the charity stripe along with collecting four steals.
Junior guard
Whitney Hartlage also drilled a trio of 3-pointers and finished with 10 points as did senior guard
Mackenzie Martinez, who sank 8-of-11 attempts from the free throw line and dished out nine assists. Bellarmine went to the charity stripe 49 times, sinking 36 (73.5 percent) of its chances against Lee (2-2).
Bellarmine jumped on the Flames from the get-go, as the Knights built an 8-0 lead less than two minutes into the game on six straight points from Galvin and a bucket from Curry. BU's advantage swelled to 24-12 after the first quarter and 40-25 after halftime.
Bellarmine maintained a 60-44 lead after a relatively even third quarter, and the Knights went up 68-48 on a layup by Curry with 7:36 left in the final period.
Lee didn't go quietly, though. A 10-2 run by the Flames helped them stave off a blowout, and a 7-0 surge inside the final two minutes cut Bellarmine's lead all the way down to 80-76 with 45 seconds left. A pair of timely free throws from junior guard
Kelsey Adwell turned back the rally.
Bellarmine built a comfortable lead in the first half on the strength of 12-of-13 free throw shooting. The Knights racked up 29 points off 24 Lee turnovers, as they amassed 13 steals. They also canned eight 3-pointers to two for the Flames.
Erin Walsh led Lee with 21 points and Carrie Cheeks chipped in 19.
Bellarmine will host Kentucky State next Saturday.
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