KIRKSVILLE, Mo. — Coach
Chancellor Dugan has been harping on the Bellarmine University women's basketball team's recent rebounding struggles, and those deficiencies continued and ultimately sank the Knights on Saturday at Truman State.
The Bulldogs registered a plus-18 advantage in the rebounding column and corralled 21 offensive rebounds while rallying past Bellarmine in the fourth quarter to defeat the Knights 75-67 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play at Pershing Arena.
Senior forward
Beth Bowers scored a game-high 20 points with eight rebounds for the Knights (15-11, 10-7 GLVC) while sophomore guard
Mikayla Berry added 12 points and sophomore forward
Mallory Schwartz chipped in 10, four assists, two blocks and two steals.
Sloane Totta led four players in double figures for Truman State (13-10, 8-8) with 14 points. Led by Katie Jaseckas' 11 rebounds, six different Bulldogs collected four rebounds or more. TSU didn't have a sizable advantage in second-chance points — 17-12 — but the 47-29 rebounding differential allowed the Bulldogs to attempt the same amount of field goals (60) as the Knights, who were outrebounded for the fourth straight time.
Bellarmine made one more field than Truman State, but the Bulldogs sank three more 3-pointers and went 20 for 28 from the free-throw line while Bellarmine was 13 for 18.
Bellarmine built an 11-point lead in the first quarter, but Truman State hit the glass hard and remained close with the Knights throughout the contest. The Bulldogs overtook the lead from Bellarmine with a 7-0 run in the fourth to go ahead 64-60 with 3:25 left.
Bellarmine was within two with 2:08 remaining, but Truman State followed with a 5-0 run — all on free throws — to distance itself from the Knights.
Bellarmine will host Indianapolis at 5:45 p.m. (ET) Thursday in its regular-season finale. It will be Senior Day.
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