Fourth quarter run lifts EKU women over Bellarmine

EKU women win five in a row for first time in seven years

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (EKU Athletics) – A 10-0 fourth quarter run kept the Eastern Kentucky University’s women’s basketball team undefeated in the ASUN Conference with a 61-47 victory against Bellarmine University on Saturday at Freedom Hall.

Trailing 42-40 early in the fourth quarter, the Colonels scored 10 unanswered for more than five minutes.  After Jaela Johnson put the home team up 42-40 with a 3-pointer at the 9:06 mark, Bellarmine didn’t score again until just 4:03 remained in the game.

Emma Hacker got the game-changing run started with two free throws to tie it.  Jayla Johnson broke the tie with a 3-pointer from the right wing.  She was fouled on the shot and completed the 4-point play to make it 46-42.  Johnson added a lay-up and a jumper to complete the run, scoring eight of the 10 points.  Her bucket with 5:14 to go put the Colonels ahead 50-42.

EKU has won five in a row for the first time since the 2013-14 season.

Johnson had 16 points, six rebounds and two steals.  Alice Recanati had a team-high 17 points, four assists and three boards.  Brie Crittendon grabbed a team-best eight rebounds.

Eastern Kentucky shot 43 percent for the game while limiting Bellarmine to 27 percent shooting.  EKU held a 42-33 rebounding advantage and out-scored the Knights 26-14 in the paint.

The Colonels (9-6, 2-0 ASUN) jumped out to an early 11-3 lead.  Recanati hit a 3-pointer from the left corner, knocked down two free throws and then drove baseline for a lay-up to finish off a 7-0 to put Eastern Kentucky ahead by eight.

The Knights closed to within three by the end of the first quarter and tied it with 6:08 to go in the second.  Bailee Harney scored 12 of BU’s first 15 points.  Sheniqua Coatney tied it 19-19 with a put-back.  Bellarmine tied it twice more in the second quarter but never took the lead.  EKU led by one at the break, 26-25.

Bellarmine scored the first two points of the second half, on a pair of free throws from Presley Brown, to take its first lead of the game, 27-26.  The lead changed hands seven times in the third quarter with neither team leading by more than three.  Two free throws in the final minute, one by Kayra Freeman with 41 ticks on the clock and one by I’Liyah Green with two seconds left, sent the visitors to the final quarter up by two, 40-38.  The Knights scored the first four points of the fourth to go up two.

Harney had a game-high 20 points for Bellarmine (3-10, 0-2 ASUN).

EKU will be back in action on Wednesday at North Alabama.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. ET.