WILBERFORCE, Ohio — In its first road game of the season, the Bellarmine University women's basketball team fell 68-60 Saturday to Central State.

Bellarmine (1-2) led 17-15 after the first quarter as sophomore forward Alisha Owens provided a big lift off the bench with nine points in the period, but Central State (2-2) outscored the Knights 22-11 in the second frame to take a 37-28 lead at the intermission.

Central State led by as many as 15 points in the third quarter and 19 in the fourth period. The eight-point differential to end the game was as close as Bellarmine got in the second half.

Bench scoring was perhaps the biggest positive for Bellarmine. The Knights had a 43-14 advantage in that area. Junior forward Lauren Deel collected 12 points and seven rebounds, Owens added 11 and seven, and junior guard Tasia Jeffries chipped in 10 and five.

That trio combined to go 16 for 29 from the floor, but Bellarmine largely struggled otherwise, shooting 39.4 percent. The Knights had an especially rough outing from 3-point land, making just 11.1 percent (2 for 18) of their attempts.

On the other hand, Central State shot 51.9 percent. The Marauders were particularly efficient in the first half when they shot at a 61.5-percent clip. Brooke Spaulding poured in a game-high 24 points, Bri'elle Johnson had 12 and Sandra Guilford contributed 10.

Bellarmine will have a lengthy break from game action before hosting Trevecca Nazarene on Nov. 29 and Tampa on Nov. 30 in the Bellarmine Thanksgiving Classic.

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BOX SCORE (HTM)