UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. — Welcome back, Ally Mayhaus.

On Friday at Saginaw Valley State, the Bellarmine University women's basketball junior center registered a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds as the Knights held off the Cardinal in recording an 83-79 victory in their season opener.

It was the second career double-double and an encouraging return for Mayhaus, who missed all of last season due to injury. Sophomore forward Lauren Deel tallied 13 points for Bellarmine (1-0), sophomore guard Breia Torrens chipped in 12 and senior center Liza Tibbs added 10. Mayhaus and Tibbs combined for 27 points and 15 rebounds at the center position against Saginaw Valley State (0-1).

"I'm more relieved than happy," Bellarmine Coach Chancellor Dugan said with a chuckle after the game. "I'm pleased with the win, but we have a lot of things to work on."

Pounding the ball down low definitely doesn't appear to be one of those things. Bellarmine dominated the paint in outscoring SVSU 52-18 in that area. However, the Cardinal sank 10 3-pointers and canned 29 of a robust 35 free-throw attempts to offset Bellarmine's post advantage.

With 3:15 left, Bellarmine trailed 78-75 before Deel tied it up by converting an and-1. Torrens then followed an SVSU turnover by draining the go-ahead basket. The Cardinal had a chance to tie but made only 1 of 2 free throws. Deel later followed another SVSU turnover with a basket for an 82-79 lead with 1:04 left.

Mayhaus notched her third block against the Cardinal on the other end, but SVSU had one more chance to tie after a Knights miss. The Cardinal worked the ball around the perimeter, but their 3-point attempt with 9 seconds left badly missed the mark and Deel rebounded. Saginaw Valley State fouled and freshman guard Presley Brown knocked down her first free throw to clinch the win.

Bellarmine forced Saginaw Valley State into 23 turnovers — many on the press — while the Knights committed only 10. Add in a 19-6 offensive rebounding advantage and Bellarmine attempted a staggering 37 more shots than the Cardinal, although SVSU's large free-throw count factored in as well. Torrens and junior guard Mikayla Berry had four assists apiece as the Knights racked up 20 for the game.

"To watch us move the ball was refreshing," Dugan said. "We had open looks on the inside, but we also missed a lot of layups and have to get better at that. We're getting the looks we want."

Abby Duffy nailed five 3-pointers and hit 12-of-13 free throws in scoring a game-high 23 points for SVSU, which led 26-23 after the first quarter before Bellarmine gained a 46-42 halftime advantage. The Cardinal led 64-63 heading into the final period.

Bellarmine plays at 1 p.m. (ET) Sunday at Northwood.

"It will be a lot like today," Dugan said. "Northwood is tough and shoots the 3 extremely well."

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