LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University women's basketball team will wrap up the regular season this week against squads from Tennessee, as the Knights will welcome Lipscomb at 6:30 p.m. (ET) Thursday in their home finale before concluding with a 3 p.m. road contest Saturday at Austin Peay.
Bellarmine (17-12, 8-8 ASUN), Lipscomb (18-9, 11-5) and Austin Peay (11-16, 6-10) have all clinched berths in the 10-team ASUN Tournament.
FIRST GAME VS. LIPSCOMB
Bellarmine and Lipscomb will be meeting for the second time in a two-week span. The Knights secured an 86-79 victory Feb. 13 in Nashville after outscoring the Bisons 16-9 in the extra session. Senior guard
Hope Sivori drilled seven 3-pointers while pouring in a game-high 27 points for BU, while senior forward
Skylar Treadwell (19 points, 15 rebounds) and junior guard
Miyah Brown (16 points, 13 rebounds) both notched double-doubles and senior guard
Hayley Harrison added 14 points. Molly Heard led Lipscomb with 20 points.
LIPSCOMB OVERALL
Lipscomb is in third place in the ASUN and won three straight after the setback to Bellarmine, including close wins last week at North Alabama, 61-58, and home against Austin Peay, 66-64. The Knights (75.4 points per game) and Bisons (74.9) are the two highest-scoring teams in the conference. Lipscomb tops the league in FG percentage (44.6) and 3-point percentage (34.8). Bella Vinson ranks fifth in the ASUN in scoring (14.6) while Claira McGowan is 11th (13.2). Ainhoa Cea is the league leader in assists (4.4).
FIRST GAME VS. AUSTIN PEAY
Austin Peay knocked off Bellarmine 69-58 on Jan. 11 in Knights Hall. It was an eyesore of a game, as the teams combined for 47 turnovers and 56 free throws in a controversy-filled contest. BU cut a 14-point deficit in the third to six on multiple occasions in the fourth, but the Governors held the Knights off. Treadwell posted 19 points while Anovia Sheals had 16 for APSU.
AUSTIN PEAY OVERALL
Austin Peay began ASUN play 4-1, but the Governors endured a seven-game losing streak during one stretch before halting the skid with a 66-57 home win over Queens in their first game last week before the aforementioned close loss at Lipscomb. Sa'Mya Wyatt is the team leader in scoring (13.1), ranking 12th in the conference. She had a notable 24-point outing against second-place Central Arkansas three games ago. Austin Peay ranks third in the league in scoring defense (63.9).
SENIOR CELEBRATION
Bellarmine will be celebrating Senior Day on Thursday. The Knights will be honoring
Mia Beam,
Ashlee Harris, Harrison, Sivori and Treadwell. Here's a peek at the five:
- Mia Beam: Beam is in her first season at Bellarmine after transferring from Cornell. The Louisville native has appeared in over 100 college games, including 28 this season with the Knights, and made 25 starts in her college tenure. The guard has registered nearly 300 points and 100 rebounds in her time in college.
- Ashlee Harris: Harris is in her sixth year at Bellarmine and overcame back-to-back season-ending injuries to play in 57 games the last two years, including 28 starts. Overall, the Louisville native has appeared in 104 games in her career while amassing nearly 600 points, close to 100 steals and over 150 assists and rebounds. The Knights' guard has scored in double figures in 12 games this year, including season highs of 17 and 16 points against in-state rival Eastern Kentucky. She is an ASUN Honor Roll recipient.
- Hayley Harrison: Harrison is in her third season at Bellarmine after beginning her career at UT Martin. In that time, the native of Winchester, Kentucky, has risen into the program's all-time Top 20 for points scored, with a current total of 1,203. The Knights' guard was a third-team All-ASUN selection last season and a Preseason All-ASUN Team honoree this season. She is a two-time ASUN Player of the Week this year and ranks fourth in the conference in scoring at 15.3 points per game while delivering a pair of 30-point performances in league play. Harrison is a College Sports Communicator Academic All-District, ASUN Honor Roll and ASUN Honors Graduate recipient.
- Hope Sivori: Sivori is in her second season at Bellarmine after transferring from Western Kentucky. In that short time, the Louisville native has already entered the program's all-time Top 10 for 3-pointers made. Entering this week, the Knights' guard ranked eighth in the entire country in 3-pointers made with 83 and 12th in the nation in free throw percentage at 90.2. Sivori is the ASUN leader in those two categories as well as steals (60 total) and also ranks in the Top 10 in scoring (13.8) and assists (3.1). She was a Preseason All-ASUN Team selection and has earned an ASUN Player of the Week award this year. Sivori is an Academic All-ASUN Team, College Sports Communicator Academic All-District and ASUN Honor Roll recipient.
- Skylar Treadwell: Treadwell is her first season at Bellarmine after transferring from Stetson. This season, the native of Daytona Beach, Florida, has cracked the program's Top 10 for single-season rebounds with 254. The Knights' forward ranks third in the ASUN in rebounding at 8.8 per game and is among the Top 10 in scoring at 13.2 points per game. Treadwell has recorded eight double-doubles this season, six of which have come in ASUN play. She is the reigning ASUN Player of the Week.
ASUN STANDINGS
With two regular-season games remaining, the top-9 teams in the conference have all sealed berths in the ASUN Tournament. Bellarmine is tied for sixth in the league with Jacksonville at 8-8. Eastern Kentucky and Stetson are just ahead, tied for fourth at 9-7 each. North Alabama is just behind the Knights and Dolphins in eighth at 7-9, and Austin Peay is ninth at 6-10. FGCU (16-0) has clinched the top seed after owning the head-to-head tiebreaker over second-place Central Arkansas (14-2). Lipscomb is in third at 11-5. West Georgia, at 5-11, is in strong position to land the 10th and final spot in the tournament.
For more coverage of Bellarmine athletics, follow us on Twitter (@BUKnights), Instagram (BUKnights) and Facebook (BUKnights).