LOUISVILLE, Ky. — ASUN West leader Jacksonville State bridged the third and fourth quarters with a devastating run to turn back an upset bid by the Bellarmine University women's basketball team in defeating the Knights 77-64 on Sunday afternoon in Freedom Hall.

Jaela Johnson was just two points off a career high after piling up a game-high 24 points for Bellarmine (3-22, 0-14 ASUN). The junior guard went 8-for-12 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line against JSU (20-6, 11-3), which has won five of its last six games.

Senior guard Presley Brown tallied 12 points and seven rebounds, while senior guard Bailee Harney added nine points and three rebounds. Brown, Harney and Kathleen Scott were celebrated in a Senior Day ceremony prior to tip-off.

The first half was among Bellarmine's best in ASUN play. The Knights trailed 20-17 after the first quarter and outscored the Gamecocks 16-11 in the second period to enter halftime with a 33-31 lead.

Bellarmine methodically boosted its advantage in the third, even going up nine on a pair of occasions. With 3:29 left in the quarter, the Knights held a 50-42 lead, but Jacksonville State completely turned the tables.

The Gamecocks ended the period on a 12-1 run to go up 54-51 heading into the fourth. JSU then outscored Bellarmine 18-3 over the first five minutes of the final stanza. In the roughly eight-and-a-half-minute span bracketing the third and fourth quarters, the Gamecocks went on a 30-4 run.

"We really played hard and were right there," Knights Coach Chancellor Dugan said. "I thought we executed the game plan to perfection and then I don't know if we got tired, but we got a nine-point lead and then turned it over or took early shots. That should have been a 15-point lead."

Bellarmine was outrebounded just 21-19 in the first half, but JSU finished with a 51-30 advantage on the boards. The Gamecocks amassed 17 of their 23 offensive rebounds in the second half. They racked up 25 second-chance points.

"The extra possessions they were getting are what killed us," Dugan said. "That's the ballgame right there. …I really thought Jacksonville State did a nice job of adjusting and got more physical with us. Jacksonville State is a very good team. They have a lot of seniors, and they play like it."

Bellarmine will host Lipscomb at 6:30 p.m. (ET) Thursday in its home finale.

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