LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University women's basketball team put together another exceptional start.

And on Saturday in Knights Hall, on a day they were celebrated, it was the seniors who set the tone.

In its regular-season finale, Bellarmine bolted out to a 44-28 lead at halftime and motored to a commanding 88-59 victory over McKendree in Great Lakes Valley Conference play.

"I was really proud of them," Knights Coach Chancellor Dugan said. "McKendree came in and had nothing to lose. I was pleased with how we came out in the second half and continued to build on our lead."

Prior to the game, Bellarmine (17-10, 12-8 GLVC) honored seniors Mikayla Berry, Katie Downey, Ally Mayhaus, Mallory Schwartz and Allison Van Dyke. Those five started against McKendree (12-16, 5-15) and built a 12-6 lead before any substitutions.

Mayhaus had one of the best all-around performances of her career, tallying 12 points, eight rebounds, four blocks and three assists. Berry hit 4-of-5 shots in scoring 12 points, Van Dyke notched nine and five rebounds, Schwartz collected four rebounds and two assists, and Downey registered two assists and a steal.

"They set the tone for what we want to do," Dugan said of the seniors. "Together they're special. They protected each other like sisters."

Winner of six of its last seven games, Bellarmine had a prodigious 49-7 advantage in bench points. Junior forward Lauren Deel scored a game-high 18 behind 7-of-11 shooting and had five rebounds. Junior guard Tasia Jeffries chipped in 11 points, and sophomore guard Kathleen Scott distributed five assists along with sinking the contest's most memorable shot, a desperation 3-pointer near midcourt as the shot clock wound down.

Bellarmine's two highest-scoring outputs this season both came against McKendree. The visiting Knights previously scored 89 in an 89-86 overtime win Jan. 9.

In Thursday's blowout win over Southern Indiana, Bellarmine built a 27-6 lead after one quarter. On Saturday, behind their seniors, the Knights once again got established early, pushing out to a 24-15 advantage by the end of the opening period.

Deel closed the initial quarter with a putback and 3-pointer. In the second period, she began an 11-0 run with an old-fashioned three-point play as the Knights led 37-20.

Bellarmine led 44-28 at halftime and its advantage never dipped below 15 in the second half. The Knights led by as many as 23 in the third quarter and then 29 in the fourth on Scott's amazing heave.

Bellarmine shot 46.7 percent and limited McKendree to 41 percent. The Knights had a 42-38 rebounding advantage and outscored the Bearcats 38-20 in the paint.

"We're rebounding the ball and taking care of the ball," Dugan said. "When you do that, good things happen."

Bellarmine will face Southern Indiana at 1 p.m. (ET) Thursday in the GLVC Tournament quarterfinals in Edwardsville, Illinois.

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