EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Sophomore guard Mikayla Berry and the Bellarmine University women's basketball team made a valiant comeback, but No. 15 Southern Indiana turned back the Knights 68-59 on Saturday in Great Lakes Valley Conference play at the Physical Activities Center.

Berry drilled five 3-pointers in scoring a career-high 22 points for Bellarmine (14-10, 9-6 GLVC), which trailed Southern Indiana (21-2, 13-1) by 18 points in the second quarter before rallying after halftime. Senior guard Raven Merriweather added her third double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds. She and freshman forward Lauren Deel had three steals apiece.

Turnovers played a big part in the game. Bellarmine had 22 as USI amassed 19 steals while the Screaming Eagles had 18 turnovers as the Knights accumulated 10 steals.

In the fourth quarter, Merriweather sank a pair of free throws to bring hard-charging Bellarmine within 53-50 with 5:31 left, but USI followed with consecutive steals and baskets. The Knights recovered from that lapse as Berry nailed her third 3-pointer of the period and followed by knocking down two free throws as Bellarmine trailed 62-59 with 1:34 left.

Deel then came up with a steal and Berry made a hard drive toward the basket. She missed as the Bellarmine bench roared for a foul call to no unveil.

Morgan Dahlstrom, who led four double-digit USI scorers with 17 points, followed by hitting a critical jump shot with 42 seconds left. The Screaming Eagles proceeded with a steal that effectively sealed the win.

The game was a physical, defensive-minded contest. The Knights only shot 35.1 percent, but they also held the Screaming Eagles to 40.7 percent shooting. Behind Berry, Bellarmine had a 34-6 advantage in bench scoring.

Turnovers and USI offensive rebounds hurt Bellarmine early as the Screaming Eagles stormed out to a 20-6 lead after one quarter and 39-25 advantage at halftime. The Knights' comeback began in the third quarter as they limited the Screaming Eagles to seven points and trimmed their deficit to 46-40 leading into the fourth on a basket by sophomore forward Allison Van Dyke.

USI's lead was single digits the entire fourth quarter as Bellarmine clawed back to within three on multiple occasions but couldn't quite get over the hump.

Bellarmine plays Thursday at Rockhurst.

For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights), Facebook (BUKnights) and the BUKnights mobile app available for iPhone and Android.

BOX SCORE (HTM)