LEXINGTON, Ky. — The greatest strength of the undefeated Kentucky women's basketball team may be the Wildcats' ability to force turnovers, and UK exploited that asset in a decisive second quarter in a 63-45 victory over Bellarmine University on Thursday night in Memorial Coliseum.

However, everything surrounding that quarter was encouraging for Bellarmine.

In the first official game between the two teams since the 1970s, Bellarmine (0-3) hung with Kentucky (4-0) at the outset and trailed just 12-9 after one quarter. The Wildcats continued to dial up their aggressive on-ball pressure and effectively disoriented the Knights in the second period while outscoring them 25-8 en route to a 37-17 halftime lead.

That second stanza was the difference. Bellarmine had a resilient and spirited second half, when the Knights outscored the Wildcats 28-26. Bellarmine had the edge in both the third and fourth quarters, outscoring UK 16-15 and 12-11 in those frames.

"I thought in the second half we came out and really played the way we are capable of playing," Knights Coach Chancellor Dugan said. "You take the second quarter out, and it's a very, very good game."

Bellarmine was even in rebounding with Kentucky at 43 boards apiece. Senior forwards Cam Browning and Sheniqua Coatney hauled in seven apiece, while freshman center Gracie Merkle and freshman guard Miyah Brown grabbed six each. In her first collegiate start, freshman guard Jayla Butler scored a team-high nine points.

In addition to its considerable effort on the boards, Bellarmine limited Kentucky to 31.3 percent shooting from the floor and only 12.5 percent (3-24) from 3-point range. Merkle collected two of the Knights' three blocks against Kentucky, which represented Bellarmine's second SEC opponent in 11 days after opening the season at LSU.

"I thought we took a really big step forward in the second half, and we just have to keep it going," Dugan said. "I was really pleased with how we played defensively and how we rebounded."

Kentucky forced Bellarmine into 27 turnovers, scoring 24 points off them. Blair Green paced the Wildcats with 15 points.

Bellarmine will play three games in the Hampton Inn Cleveland Downtown Viking Invitational hosted by Cleveland State. The Knights lead off at 7 p.m. (ET) Wednesday against St. Bonaventure. They'll follow Friday and Saturday against Cleveland State (4 p.m.) and Georgia State (1 p.m.), respectively.

"I'm really looking forward to getting on the road with these ladies and seeing what we can do," Dugan said.

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