DeLAND, Fla. — The Bellarmine University women's basketball team had a pair of looks from close range to tie with less than 10 seconds left, but the Knights couldn't convert as Stetson secured a 50-48 win in ASUN action Thursday night in The J. Ollie Edmunds Center.

Two-time reigning ASUN Player and Freshman of the Week Gracie Merkle recorded her sixth straight double-double and ASUN-best 14th overall after registering game highs of 16 points and 11 rebounds for Bellarmine (7-14, 3-5 ASUN), which saw its three-game winning streak snapped by the Hatters (9-12, 3-5).

Bellarmine trailed by six midway through the fourth quarter but rallied to take a 45-44 with 2:48 left on a basket by Merkle. Stetson regained the advantage behind a 6-0 run, but the Knights cut the deficit to 50-48 on a traditional three-point play by freshman guard Miyah Brown with 39 seconds remaining.

Stetson missed on the other end and Merkle grabbed the rebound, setting Bellarmine up with the ball with 8.1 seconds left after multiple timeouts. Brown got off a pair of shot attempts to tie, but her driving layup and follow-up of her own miss were both off the mark as the Hatters escaped with the win.

Bellarmine led 11-8 after the first quarter, but the Knights had a scoring drought of roughly seven minutes in the second period that allowed Stetson to push to a 22-19 halftime advantage. The Knights briefly regained the lead in the third before an 8-0 run by the Hatters vaulted them back ahead 39-32.

Turnovers hurt Bellarmine. The Knights committed 19 to the 12 of Stetson. The Hatters had an 18-10 advantage in points off turnovers.

Bellarmine will play at 7 p.m. (ET) Saturday at FGCU.

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