LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Coach Chancellor Dugan said the contest would resemble a track meet as much as it would a basketball game.

And her Bellarmine University women's team reached the finish line first.

On Monday in Knights Hall, Bellarmine capped the 2018 portion of its schedule in style, as the Knights captured a thrilling — and utterly exhausting — 104-96 nonconference victory in overtime over Glenville State after the Knights scored at will in the extra session to overcome the Pioneers' potentially crushing 3-pointer in the waning seconds that sent the game into OT.

For the second game in a row in Knights Hall, Bellarmine racked up the most points in Dugan's seven seasons. The Knights scored 102 against Central State on Nov. 17 in the team's only other home game thus far. Dugan had her squad prepared for the frenetic pace against the nation's highest-scoring team.

"It was a gutty win, a great team win," said Dugan, who was drenched in sweat herself following the relentless affair. "We worked so hard this week. We ran and ran and ran and ran. I asked them at halftime if practice or the first half was harder. They said, 'Practice.' I couldn't be more pleased with our effort."

Mikayla Berry piled up career highs of 30 points and nine rebounds while tying a career best in assists with five for Bellarmine (6-3). The junior guard drained a trio of 3-pointers and 13 of her 14 attempts from the free-throw line against Glenville State (9-2). Sophomore forward Lauren Deel also registered a career high with 21 points on 8-for-11 shooting and added seven rebounds and three assists.

Freshman guard Kathleen Scott also posted a career high in points in her young career with 12 behind 10-of-14 shooting from the charity stripe. Senior center Liza Tibbs chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds, junior forward Mallory Schwartz ripped down 11 rebounds and junior center Ally Mayhaus hauled in 10 rebounds.

In the back-and-forth, high-octane contest, Bellarmine had a chance to ice the game in regulation after Berry canned a jumper for an 84-81 lead with 38 seconds left and the Knights followed with a defensive stop that led to two free-throw chances with 11 seconds remaining. Glenville State's hopes remained alive after Bellarmine missed both, and Zakiyah Winfield capitalized by sinking a tying 3-pointer with three seconds left to send the game into overtime.

What could have been a demoralizing shot only seemed to inspire Bellarmine, which outscored the Pioneers 20-12 in the extra frame. Berry made a go-ahead layup less than 30 seconds into the session, and the Knights led until the final buzzer. The Knights scored on nine straight possessions, attacking the offensive glass for extra opportunities when they did miss. Sophomore forward Taylor Hunter stuck a putback for a 94-87 lead with 2:16 left.

Glenville State never got closer than five after that. Berry stroked six straight free throws in the final 20 seconds to officially seal the victory. She scored eight points in the overtime for the Knights, who held a 63-44 rebounding advantage, a major emphasis of Dugan.

"I can't take anything away from (Glenville State). They are very, very good," Dugan said. "They rebound the heck out of the ball. That's something I preached all week. For us to outrebound them by 19 is incredible."

Glenville State came into the game averaging a nation's-best 107.2 points per game. Bellarmine became just the fourth team this season to hold the Pioneers under 100 points. Donasja Scott led five players in double figures with 18 points. Emily Stoller, who averaged 24 points coming into the game, finished with 16 and fouled out with 6:55 left in regulation.

With both teams pressing and attacking fearlessly, the furious pace resulted in a combined 59 turnovers, 70 foul calls and 88 free-throw attempts. Bellarmine's superior accuracy from the charity stripe was critical, as the Knights nailed 32 of their 40 chances (80 percent) to the 31 of 48 (64.6 percent) of the Pioneers, who took a 17-7 lead in the first quarter before Bellarmine rallied to take a 50-48 advantage at halftime on Deel's traditional three-point play.

The momentum swings didn't cease until Bellarmine dominated overtime. The Knights led by six and also trailed by seven in the third quarter before Glenville State gained a 65-64 advantage heading into the fourth. There ended up being 13 ties and 11 lead changes over the course of the contest.  

Bellarmine will play Thursday at Missouri-St. Louis and Saturday at Maryville as the Knights return to Great Lakes Valley Conference action for good.

"For whatever reason, we haven't had a lot of success at Missouri-St. Louis. We've got to change that," Dugan said. "We have to rewrite history a little bit."

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