Danielle Rainey | Eastern Kentucky University
Danielle Rainey | Eastern Kentucky University
Shooting Barrage Powers Bellarmine Over Eastern Kentucky
Behind another double-double from Gracie Merkle and shooting 53 percent from the floor, Bellarmine outlasts Eastern Kentucky by a score of 85-77 in the second straight contest between the two programs on Saturday afternoon in Freedom Hall.
With the loss, Eastern Kentucky moves to 10-8 on the season and 3-2 in ASUN Conference play. Bellarmine (5-13, 1-4 ASUN) gained its first conference win on the season in five tries.
Antwainette Walker scored a team-leading 19 points and 11 rebounds for her 10th double-double of the year in 16 contests.
Three other Colonels scored in double-figures in the loss, Danielle Rainey tallied 17 points and six boards, Bridgid Fox scored a season-high 14 points on 50 percent shooting from the floor, and Alice Recanati recorded 12 points and five assists.
A Fox layup and three Walker made jumpers pushed EKU to an 8-5 lead to begin Saturday's contest. Five points from Bellarmine's Hayley Harrison, a Winchester product, extended a 5-0 run to knot the score at 13 all. Fox gave Eastern Kentucky its answer with a made 3-pointer to end the first period with a 20-16 EKU lead.
Merkle scored the first four baskets for the Knights to begin the second quarter to give BU a 24-23 lead, which then sparked another 8-0 run. A three from Rainey stopped the bleeding to bring the Colonels within four. Ariel Kirkwood made the most of her first-half minutes by tying the game with a floater at 40 apiece. Bellarmine sank one of two free throws to end the quarter with a one-point lead over EKU at halftime.
Eastern Kentucky kept the contest close heading to the third quarter media timeout, Bellarmine would pull away off a 3-pointer from Mackenzie Keelin to give BU its largest lead of the game at 57-51.
The Colonels would re-take the lead twice in the fourth quarter, however, unable to escape the Knights' hot shooting effort to end the contest for a 85-77 loss on the road.
Bellarmine ended the game shooting 53 percent from the floor, 50 percent from beyond the arch, and 65.5 percent from the charity stripe.
BU took 29 free throw attempts to EKU's 18; the Colonels sank 17-of-18 (.944) shots from the line, the team's best performance of the year.
Eastern Kentucky returns to action next week to host Jacksonville and North Florida inside Baptist Health Arena.
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