ATHENS, Ohio — The Bellarmine University women's basketball team was ready for its first road challenge of the season. The Knights made that abundantly clear from the get-go.

On Sunday afternoon at the Convocation Center, five Bellarmine players scored in double figures as the Knights built a sizable lead by halftime in rolling to an 82-50 victory over Ohio.

Senior guard Hope Sivori filled up the stat sheet with team highs of 16 points, six assists and three steals while tying a team best with seven rebounds for Bellarmine (3-0), which set a new D1-era program record for largest margin of victory against a D1 opponent. The previous high had been 27 against Central Arkansas in 2022-23.

Junior guard Erin Toller drilled four 3-pointers in registering 14 points and five rebounds, freshman forward Kayce Hyman posted the first double-figure scoring effort of her collegiate career with 13 points and senior guard Ashlee Harris supplied 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. Senior guard Hayley Harrison was the fifth double-digit scorer with 10 points.

By early in the second quarter, Bellarmine had already knocked down six 3-pointers, with a Toller trifecta bumping the lead to 11 about two minutes into the period. The Knights' advantage never dipped below double digits thereafter and when they transitioned to a more interior game later in the second period, Hyman's successful drive pumped the lead up to 20 en route to a 52-33 halftime lead.

Ohio hit a pair of 3-pointers to open the third quarter but quickly cooled off. Foul trouble on both sides affected the flow of the game in the third, but Bellarmine effectively produced either down low or at the free-throw line to maintain a 69-45 advantage heading into the fourth. Senior forward Skylar Treadwell, who had nine points and seven rebounds, capped the quarter by sinking a shot from deep.

Bellarmine was exceptional from the charity stripe, hitting 23 of its 25 attempts for a 92-percent clip. Hyman led the way by going 7-for-7. Ohio had the same amount of chances as the Knights from the stripe but made only 17 (68 percent).

Long-range accuracy was a big factor as well, especially in the first half when Bellarmine was hot from deep and the Bobcats were ice cold (1-for-15, 6.7 percent). Overall, the Knights canned 11 of their 32 3-point tries while Ohio was just 5-for-37.

In addition, Bellarmine had 10 less turnovers than Ohio, 22-12, and a 47-41 rebounding advantage.

Bellarmine will play at 1 p.m. (ET) Saturday at Detroit Mercy.

For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights) and Facebook (BUKnights).