DAYTON, Ohio — It was Education Day at Wright State University Nutter Center, and
Ashlee Harris and
Triniti Ralston took the Raiders to school.
The backcourt duo for the Bellarmine University women's basketball team combined for 43 points, including 13 in overtime, in powering the Knights to an 83-76 victory Wednesday over Wright State.
Ralston flirted with a triple-double in an extraordinary effort in which the junior guard amassed game highs in points (22), rebounds (15), assists (seven) and steals (four) for Bellarmine (2-3). She had five points at halftime but poured in 17 in the second half and overtime, with seven coming in the extra session.
Hitting what felt like a season's worth of clutch shots in a single performance, Harris piled up a career-high 21 points against the Raiders (3-2). The redshirt senior guard sank nine of her 12 shots from the floor, including a pair of 3-point attempts that both came in overtime. Harris tallied 15 of her points in the second half and overtime.
The teams played bonus basketball after ending regulation tied at 68. In the extra frame, Harris buried consecutive 3-pointers, the latter of which was the dagger and extended Bellarmine's lead to 80-73 with 22 seconds left.
Ralston, whose steal and layup to open OT gave the Knights a lead they would never relinquish, closed out the contest with three made free throws. Led by Ralston and Harris, who combined to go 4-for-4 from the field in the last five minutes, Bellarmine hit five of its seven shots in the extra session.
Sophomore guard
Ava Smith and redshirt junior guard/forward
Rose Jamison notched 10 points apiece for Bellarmine, which shot a season-high 49.2 percent from the field. The Knights trailed 18-14 after the first quarter but got in a sustained offensive rhythm in the second period, shooting 61.5 percent in the frame while taking a 31-30 halftime lead.
There were a whopping 17 lead changes in the game, with the back-and-forth coming throughout the second half. The Knights' 42 points in the paint were a major factor in the victory.
Bellarmine will play at 3 p.m. (ET) Sunday at Bradley.
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