Louisville City Wire

Knights topped by Jacksonville despite double-doubles from Brown, Merkle

The Bellarmine University women's basketball team had a lengthy drought between baskets bridging the third and fourth quarters, allowing Jacksonville to pull away for a 77-64 win in an ASUN opener Monday afternoon in Swisher Gymnasium.

Freshman center Gracie Merkle posted her eighth double-double of the season while freshman guard Miyah Brown notched her first career double-double for Bellarmine (4-10, 0-1 ASUN). Merkle amassed 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Brown registered career bests of 12 points and 11 rebounds against the Dolphins (7-4, 1-0).

Despite the absence of starting senior forward Cam Browning due to injury, Bellarmine had one of its most balanced scoring efforts of the season as junior guard Claire Knies accounted for a team-high 13 points and senior forward Sheniqua Coatney added 10 to give the Knights four double-figure scorers. Sophomore guard Hayley Harrison was nearly a fifth before finishing with nine points. Harrison also had three steals and she and Knies dished out five assists apiece.

"I thought we played so hard, I thought we did a great job on the boards (35-31 advantage, 16 offensive rebounds), we just couldn't make a bucket when we needed to," Knights Coach Chancellor Dugan said.

Jalisa Dunlap paced three Jacksonville players in double figures with a game- and career-high 21 points, 17 of which came in the first half when the Dolphins built a 35-28 lead. JU was ahead 55-47 after three periods, but the Dolphins extended the advantage to 20 after opening the fourth quarter on a 12-0 run.

Bellarmine had a roughly seven-minute drought between field goals bridging the third and fourth quarters. To that point, the Knights had refused to allow Jacksonville to pull away, but the Dolphins created an insurmountable lead during BU's cold stretch.

"We get three stops in a row and came down (on offense) and aren't able to cash in," Dugan said. "It's hard to keep getting stops on one end when you're not making baskets that you know you should make on the other. I think we got caught up trying to look for the foul instead of just (focusing on making) the layup. We had three fast-break baskets that we missed where we're going in and looking for the foul instead of going in and looking for the basket."

Bellarmine will play at 7 p.m. (ET) Thursday at North Alabama in ASUN play.

"They run, so we're going to have to have our track shoes on and slow the ball down," Dugan said. "I think if you rebound and put the ball in the hole, it cuts those opportunities down. I thought we did a better job today with our turnovers. We've just got to keep working toward that; we're getting better."

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Original source can be found here.