ROMEOVILLE, Ill. — While it wasn't actually the case, it sure felt like Thursday's contest in Neil Carey Arena pitted the Bellarmine University women's basketball team against the Lewis duo of Jessica Kelliher and Tierney Lockett.

That pair combined for 55 points — or 77.5 percent of the team's scoring — as the 18th-ranked Flyers defeated the Knights 71-60 in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

Kelliher, who entered sixth in the nation in scoring average (23.4), poured in a game-high 34 points for Lewis (19-2, 10-1 GLVC). Lockett's prolific scoring against Bellarmine (10-9, 4-7) was a much bigger surprise. She tallied 21 points after coming into the game averaging 8.4.

Kelliher and Lockett combined to go 22 for 32 from the field. Kelliher, who is second in the country in field-goal percentage, connected on 13-of-19 shots and Lockett was 9 for 13. The duo scored all but four of Lewis' points in the first half as the Flyers took a 32-26 lead.

Junior guard Mikayla Berry paced Bellarmine with 12 points and sophomore guard Breia Torrens added 11 and four assists. Senior center Liza Tibbs and junior center Ally Mayhaus grabbed six rebounds each. Freshman guard Bailee Harney matched Torrens with four assists.

Bellarmine came out strong and took a 16-13 lead after one quarter. The Knights remained on solid footing at the intermission as they trailed by just six, and after Lewis gained an 11-point lead in the third quarter, they roared back to within four on a Torrens jumper late in the period.

Lockett followed with a basket and the Knights then had a turnover and rushed a 3-point attempt on their next two possessions. Lewis capitalized both times and pushed its lead back to 10. The Flyers, who shot 54.7 percent, led by as many as 15 in the fourth quarter.

"We came down and ran bad offense," Knights Coach Chancellor Dugan said of the critical stretch to close the third quarter. "We rushed shots and tried to score quickly. They had everyone back on defense. That's not us."

Bellarmine plays at 5 p.m. (ET) Saturday at Indianapolis.

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