LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University women's basketball team made an epic comeback from a steep second-half deficit to tie Lewis early in the fourth quarter Saturday, but the visiting Flyers were able to respond and ultimately hold off the Knights for a 78-76 victory in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

Bellarmine (6-4, 1-2 GLVC) trailed Lewis (6-5, 3-0) by 14 at halftime and by 19 midway through the third quarter, but that's when the Knights made a frenetic comeback. Bellarmine closed the third period on a 20-4 run capped by a steal and basket by junior forward Lauren Deel just ahead of the buzzer to get within 52-49, and senior forward Mallory Schwartz buried a 3-pointer to knot it up with 8:35 left in the fourth.

Lewis regrouped to score the next five points and later put together a 7-0 run to build a 69-59 lead with 3:23 remaining. Bellarmine made a last gasp and got within one possession at 76-73 with six seconds left on a 3-pointer by junior guard Tasia Jeffries, but Rachel Hinders followed by sinking a pair of free throws to seal it for Lewis.

"If we had started out the way we finished, it would have been a different game," Knights Coach Chancellor Dugan said. "The first half just killed us. We were just going through the motions. You can't do that against a team like Lewis."

It was perhaps fitting that Hinders was the Flyer who recorded the clinching points. She hit 8-of-9 shots and all 12 of her free throws in scoring a game-28 points while also grabbing a game-best nine rebounds. Accuracy from the charity stripe was key for Lewis, which canned 23 of its 26 attempts (88.5 percent). The Flyers shot 51.1 percent from the floor.

Schwartz led four Knights in double figures with 17 points behind four 3-pointers and added seven rebounds. Senior guard Mikayla Berry and sophomore forward Alisha Owens contributed 11 points apiece and Jeffries chipped in 10. Junior guard Breia Torrens tallied four steals for the Knights, who forced 26 turnovers and ripped down 19 offensive rebounds.

Bellarmine had a lot of work to do after the first half. Lewis shot 56 percent over the first two quarters and limited the Knights to 29.4 percent as the Flyers carried a 37-23 lead into the break.

"We've got to play for 40 minutes; it can't be in spurts," Dugan said. "With about six minutes to go in the third quarter, we had a lot of intensity and were working hard and got back in the game. But overall, defensively we just gave up too many points, and we were stagnant offensively in the first half, not taking the shots we take in practice."

Bellarmine plays Thursday at McKendree and Saturday at Southern Indiana.

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