LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In one quarter — and in clutch fashion — the No. 4 Bellarmine University women's basketball team turned a weakness into a strength.

After shooting less than 50 percent from the free-throw line over three quarters, the Knights knocked down 14 of 16 in the final period and that proficiency helped turn back a gutsy effort from Wisconsin-Parkside in an 84-81 victory Saturday in Great Lakes Valley Conference play at Knights Hall.

"I think our toughness showed. I think we just refused to lose," Bellarmine Coach Chancellor Dugan said. "Sometimes that will take you further than talent. Wisconsin-Parkside gave us everything we wanted. I was proud of my kids for bowing their neck and coming back and playing strong."

Junior forward Beth Bowers drilled a pair of pivotal jumpers inside the last 2:30, and Bellarmine (16-2, 8-1 GLVC) reined in its defense in the fourth quarter to cool off the hot-shooting Rangers (5-12, 3-6). Five different players scored in double figures for the Knights, who regrouped after suffering their first conference loss of the season Thursday against No. 24 Lewis.

Junior guard Raven Merriweather scored a team-high 17 points with six rebounds, senior forward Sarah Galvin had 16 points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals, and senior guard Whitney Hartlage chipped in 16 points, four assists and two steals. Bowers hit 5-of-6 shots in contributing 13 points and four assists, and senior guard Destony Curry added 11 points, four rebounds and three steals.

Scoring-wise, Bellarmine's latest victory was almost all about its starters, who combined to score all but 11 of the team's points. The Knights needed just about every one of them too as UWP shot a blazing 75 percent (9 of 12) in the third quarter to outscore Bellarmine 24-14 in the period and take a 58-56 lead. The Rangers, who got a game-high 25 points from Brittney Fair, hit four of their five 3-point attempts in the frame.

Wisconsin-Parkside led by as many as five in the fourth quarter, but Bellarmine pushed back to tie it at 67 with 4:57 left on Curry's two free throws. The Knights went up three on a trifecta by Merriweather, but the Rangers knotted it at 76 with 1:16 left on a pair from the charity stripe.

On the following possession, Curry fired to Bowers, who drained a 3-pointer with 57 seconds left. Less than two minutes earlier, Bowers had stroked a long jumper. Following Bowers' second bucket, Bellarmine maintained the lead the rest of the way by nailing its final five free throws — one from Bowers and two apiece from Hartlage and Merriweather.

"Beth stepped up and hit two big, big shots," Dugan said.

It was a terrific turnaround for the Knights from the charity stripe after they only hit 8 of 17 (47.1 percent) in the first three quarters. They canned 87.5 percent (14 of 16) in the final stanza. Curry went 5 for 5 from the line in the game, Hartlage was 4 for 4 and Merriweather was 5 for 6.

Bellarmine's defense also elevated to another level in the fourth. Wisconsin-Parkside shot 55.8 percent through three quarters, but the Knights limited the Rangers to 35.7 percent in the final period. Bellarmine often struggled to stop UWP from making shots, but the Knights were frequently opportunistic as well, creating 26 points off the Rangers' 20 turnovers.

"We got some stops down the stretch, but we've got to be better than what we're playing right now," Dugan said. "Wisconsin-Parkside played a great game. They played hard, hit some good shots and made their free throws too. It wasn't a pretty game by any stretch of the imagination. We've got to do a better job on the boards — our guards aren't rebounding right now."

Wisconsin-Parkside shot 50.9 percent while Bellarmine was solid as well at 48.3 percent. After getting hurt badly down low by Lewis, the Knights did damage in that area to the Rangers, owning a 40-26 advantage in points in the paint.

Bellarmine plays Thursday at Indianapolis and Saturday at Saint Joseph's.

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