LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The momentum the Bellarmine University women's basketball team built in the second quarter carried right over into the third.

The result of outscoring Kentucky State, which is ranked 25th in the Division II Media Poll, 40-18 over the middle two periods was a convincing 77-61 victory Saturday at Knights Hall.

After missing last season due to injury, Sarah Galvin continued her torrid start to the year with a game-high 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting for the Knights (3-0). The junior forward added eight rebounds against Kentucky State (2-1) and has led or tied for the team lead in scoring all three games.

Sophomore guard Raven Merriweather had 12 points and five rebounds, junior guard Destony Curry added 10 points and freshman center Ally Mayhaus grabbed 10 rebounds with four steals and two blocks. Junior guard Serena Sandusky hit all three of her shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, and tallied five rebounds.

Merriweather, Sandusky and senior forward Nicole Bryant all canned two 3-pointers as Bellarmine hit 7 of 20 from downtown while Kentucky State only made 1 of 15. The Thorobrettes sank 8-of-9 free throws, but the Knights were also stellar from the charity stripe and had more chances, draining 12-of-14 attempts. BU owned the boards with a 49-33 rebounding superiority.

Jamesha Mosley had 14 points for Kentucky State and Logan Powell and Alexis Stallard added 12 apiece, but Bellarmine shot 53.3 percent in the second half to build an insurmountable advantage. KSU shot 37.8 percent in the second half and 36.1 percent for the game, while the Knights shot 46 percent overall.

Bellarmine led 17-16 after the first quarter but fell behind twice in the second quarter before an 11-2 run swung the game in the Knights' favor. Senior guard Mackenzie Martinez spotted Merriweather for a go-ahead 3-pointer with 7:32 left before halftime, and BU never trailed again. Galvin sandwiched a pair of baskets around Merriweather's free throws for an eight-point lead and later Bryant nailed a jumper for a 35-26 advantage at the break.

Bellarmine essentially put the game away by outscoring Kentucky State 22-8 in the third quarter. The Thorobrettes went over five minutes without scoring, while Bellarmine's lead spiked to 21 points in that span. The Knights led by 25 on a jumper by junior guard Kelsey Adwell with 33 seconds left before a final period that was just a formality.

Bellarmine opens Great Lakes Valley Conference play by hosting Illinois Springfield at 5:45 p.m. (ET) on Thursday at Knights Hall.

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