LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University women's basketball team pulled off a miraculous comeback on Thursday night at Knights Hall, as BU erased a 10-point deficit with a little over a minute left to capture a wild 61-58 victory over Truman State in Great Lakes Valley Conference action.

Bellarmine senior forward Morgan Clemons had 15 points for the Knights (11-9, 6-6 GLVC), including the go-ahead basket with 17 seconds left. She also grabbed 15 rebounds to record her fourth double-double of the season. Junior guard Mariah Gador scored 15 points and buried a huge 3-pointer during the Knights' frantic rally. Freshman guard Raven Merriweather chipped in 10 points, and it was her trifecta that got BU's motor running late against Truman State (12-8, 6-6).

"We really only played well for about a minute and seven seconds," BU Coach Chancellor Dugan said. "When the kids decide they want to play, get stops, look for each other and stay in their shots, we're not a bad team."

Bellarmine won its third straight game, and Thursday night's victory was certainly the most unlikely. It appeared the Bulldogs had the game in the bag when they took a 57-47 lead on Allie Norton's 3-pointer with 2:26 left. When Merriweather drained a trey at the 1:13 mark off a pass from Gador, the Knights were still down seven, but it was the spark they needed.

After Truman State missed a one-and-one at the free throw line, Gador sank a 3-pointer after Merriweather returned the favor with a feed, and suddenly Bellarmine only trailed by four with 46 seconds left. The Knights then got the ball back on an offensive foul by the Bulldogs, and sophomore guard Whitney Hartlage nailed BU's third 3-pointer in 42 seconds to trail 57-56 with 31 seconds left.

Truman State turned the ball over once again when two Bulldogs collided near the baseline on the press breaker and the ball rolled out of bounds. Clemons capitalized by canning a go-ahead jumper off an assist from sophomore guard Kelsey Adwell with 17 seconds left.

The Knights fouled the Bulldogs, but Michalina Tomczak missed the ensuing free throw and Hartlage corralled the rebound. Merriweather stroked a free throw for a two-point lead with 13 seconds left, and Tomczak was fouled and made 1 of 2 on the other end. With six seconds left, Adwell sank a pair of free throws for a 61-58 advantage, and the improbable comeback was sealed when Truman State missed a desperation 3-pointer as time expired.

While Bellarmine only shot 34.3 percent for the game, the Knights were precise when it truly counted, connecting on four of their last five shots. BU spoiled a huge outing by Tomczak, who racked up a game-high 22 points and 11 rebounds. Norton added 16 points and Courtney Straight had 12.

"I don't know what it is," Dugan said of the Knights' shooting struggles. "Sometimes I think they think about it too much. Maybe we don't think enough. Whatever it is, they need to do whatever they did in the last minute of the game tonight."

Rebounding was pivotal for Bellarmine, which held a 51-30 advantage on the boards. The Knights' rebounding total was its highest of the season, as was the team's 23 offensive boards. Merriweather, Adwell and freshman forward Beth Bowers had six rebounds apiece. Merriweather also had six assists and three steals. Eight of Clemons' 15 boards were of the offensive variety, and she scored 13 points in the second half.

"This is her senior year, and she wants the ball," Dugan said of Clemons. "I thought we looked for her in the second half."

Truman State led by as many as 11 in the first half and took a 29-20 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs increased their advantage to 12 in the second half.

Bellarmine will welcome Quincy at 1 p.m. (ET) on Saturday. While the Knights have won three in a row, Dugan was cautious after the stirring comeback.

"The last time we were rolling, right after that we had a five-game losing streak," she pointed out. "We have to come out and be ready for Quincy."

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