LOUISVILLE, Ky. — It took the Bellarmine University women's basketball team a little while to pick up its first Division I win.

It didn't take any time to collect the second.

On Saturday afternoon in Freedom Hall, the Knights kept pace with Kennesaw State through three quarters and then made their move in the fourth, bearing down for a 73-67 win in ASUN play.

After dropping its first 10 games, with multiple coming in close fashion, Bellarmine (2-10, 2-5 ASUN) has now posted its first D1 winning streak after downing Stetson 71-64 last weekend. The Knights did it after outscoring Kennesaw State (5-6, 1-6) 28-17 in the final period.

"I thought we finally got to the rim in the second half," Knights Coach Chancellor Dugan said. "I was pleased with how we handled their pressure. They're a good team. They're young but they've got pieces."

Senior guard Tasia Jeffries canned 6-of-11 shots, including 3-of-7 from downtown, in scoring a team-high 15 points. Senior guard Breia Torrens supplied 14 points and junior guard Kathleen Scott added 10, five rebounds and four assists. Junior forward Sheniqua Coatney grabbed seven rebounds.

Forcing turnovers was a critical component to Bellarmine's success at the DII level, and that may have been the key to Saturday's victory. Kennesaw State shot a very strong 54 percent compared to 34.9 percent for Bellarmine, but the Knights created 26 turnovers. Jeffries and junior guard Presley Brown, who had nine points and five rebounds and provided a big lift in the fourth, racked up four steals apiece. Bellarmine totaled 13 thefts and held a 24-8 advantage in bench scoring.

"Presley came in and made the most of her opportunity," Dugan said. "You have to be ready, you have to make a difference."

Rebounding also played a big part in the win. Kennesaw State is the ASUN's top team on the boards and had a 38-33 advantage over Bellarmine, but the Knights amassed 18 offensive rebounds. In addition, Bellarmine, among the league's best free-throw shooting teams, sank 23 of its 30 attempts from the charity stripe while the Owls were only 10-for-17.

"That's a big accomplishment for us," Dugan said of the Knights' commendable work on the boards. "As you know, we're not the tallest team out there. I was really proud of the effort on the glass."

With 6:44 left in the fourth, Bellarmine trailed 56-49 but the Knights went on an 8-1 run to tie it up with about five minutes remaining. Bellarmine overtook KSU with a 6-0 run as Brown bookended a basket and two free throws around a jumper by sophomore guard Ashlee Harris.

From there, it was about stops and free throws. Kennesaw State went over two minutes without scoring, and Coatney, Scott and Torrens combined to go 6-for-6 from the charity stripe as Bellarmine boosted its lead to 69-61 with less than one minute left.

Bellarmine will host Kennesaw State again at 2 p.m. (ET) Sunday.

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