LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Four Bellarmine University women's basketball players scored in double figures, three either had double-doubles or were close to it and the Knights had their best game of the season protecting the ball in a 65-59 victory over North Florida in ASUN action Thursday night in Freedom Hall.

Reigning ASUN Player and Freshman of the Week Gracie Merkle secured her 12th double-double of the season after racking up a team-high 21 points and game-best 12 rebounds for Bellarmine (6-13, 2-4 ASUN), which overcame an early 16-point deficit to post its second straight win.

"The start wasn't anything to write home about, but these kids just finished it," Knights Coach Chancellor Dugan said.

Freshman guard Jayla Butler delivered the best performance yet of her young tenure as she registered career highs in scoring (11), rebounding (nine) and steals (four) while distributing four assists against North Florida (5-11, 2-4). Like Butler, senior forward Sheniqua Coatney was just shy of a double-double after tallying 10 points and eight rebounds while dishing out four assists. Freshman guard Miyah Brown was a fourth double-figure scorer for the Knights with 10 points.

The best aspect of the game for Bellarmine was unquestionably its season-low 10 turnovers. That was five less than the previous low in giveaways. The Knights had a 19-6 advantage in points off turnovers after accumulating 22 takeaways, with 10 coming via steals spearheaded by Butler's four thefts.

"Taking care of the ball was the story of the game, and we needed to — it was a six-point game," Dugan said. "It's that time of year where the freshmen have played enough games to understand the pace (of the college game) and how physical it is."

Bellarmine started slow offensively, leading to an 18-6 deficit after one quarter and 16-point hole roughly halfway through the second period. After being held scoreless in the opening stanza, Merkle scored nine points in the second quarter, and her basket with less than 20 seconds remained trimmed the deficit to 28-23 at halftime.

"They just keep battling, and I think that's our mentality: If we miss a shot, we're going to go get it. And if we don't, we're going to play great defense on the other end," Dugan said.

Bellarmine took the lead for good with approximately three minutes left in the third quarter on a 3-pointer by junior guard Mackenzie Keelin. The Knights carried a 44-41 advantage into the last period and boosted it to 55-43 with 5:55 left on another Keelin trifecta that capped an 11-2 run.

North Florida got within 58-52 with roughly three minutes remaining, but sophomore guard Hayley Harrison converted a steal into a fastbreak basket to help put away the Ospreys.

In addition to its 10 steals, Bellarmine piled up eight blocks as Coatney, Merkle and Brown had two apiece. After North Florida made seven shots in the first quarter, the Knights limited the Ospreys to only 12 more made field goals the rest of the game despite a 23-point effort from Kaila Rougier.

"Jayla and Miyah really did a fantastic job harassing those guards," Dugan said. "And I thought our press was good. I thought we made them rush a little bit."

Bellarmine will host Jacksonville at 1 p.m. (ET) Saturday in Freedom Hall.

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