LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Behind 20 points from Kaitlyn Costner and a 14-point, 11-rebound double double by Liz Freihofer, the Eastern Kentucky University women's basketball team clinches a berth in the 2025 Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament with a 79-73 win over Bellarmine on Saturday afternoon at Knights Hall.
 
With the win, EKU (18-9, 8-6 ASUN) will head to the ASUN Tournament for the fourth consecutive season, qualifying for the event in every season in its membership with the league.  Saturday's win also marks a regular season sweep over the Colonels' in-state rival for the second straight year.
 
Costner led all scorers on Saturday with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting and a perfect 8-for-8 clip from the free throw line.  The performance was her 20th game this season in double figure scoring and third game of her career with 20 or more points.  The Indiana native added five rebounds and four assists to her final tally.
 
Aiding in the effort was Freihofer who dropped the second double double of her young career with 14 points and 11 rebounds—all coming from the defensive side of the floor.  The Union, Kentucky product went 6-for-9 from the floor and knocked down two three-pointers in the win.
 
Three other Colonels ended with double figures; fifth years Alice Recanati and Jasmine McGinnis-Taylor had 12 points apiece while fellow fifth year Raphaela Toussaint added 11 points with 10 rebounds en route to her 16th career double double.
 
As a team, EKU shot 48 percent (29-for-60) from the floor while hitting four threes and 17 free throws on 21 attempts.  The Colonels' hot shooting continued against the Knights, their effort marks three consecutive games shooting over 45 percent from the floor.
 
On the glass, the Colonels outrebounded Bellarmine by 11 rebounds, 47-36, leading to a whopping 50 of the team's 79 points coming from inside the paint.  EKU's 47 rebounds on Saturday was the team's fifth-most of the season.
 
Bellarmine (15-12, 6-8 ASUN) had four players in double figure scoring, led by 16 points from Louisville native Ashlee Harris.  The Knights were not one of three teams who solidified their spot in the conference tournament field after Saturday's result, seven of the 10-team tournament spots have been clinched with four regular season games remaining.
 
EKU turned up the heat in the second half after trailing 35-30 at the intermission.  With under two minutes left in the third quarter, the Colonels reclaimed the lead, 52-20, for the first time in over 13 minutes of play off made layups from Costner and a three from Freihofer. 
 
In the fourth quarter, EKU pushed its lead to seven points with just over eight minutes left in the game off a made jumper from freshman guard Mya Wardle, who ended the contest with seven points.  The Colonels would go on to claim a 12-point lead off a made jumper from Freihofer with six minutes left.
 
After being up by as much as 15 points with three minutes left, EKU would allow Bellarmine to cut the deficit to just four points with 28 seconds remaining, however, the valiant effort was cut short as a pair of Costner free throws sealed the win for the Colonels, 79-73.
 
Bellarmine shot 35 percent from the floor but struggled to connect on its barrage from deep, going 11-for-30 from long range.  The Knights had zero fast break points despite forcing EKU into 17 turnovers.
 
EKU will continue its four-game road trip as conference play winds down next week in the Sunshine State facing North Florida on Thursday, Feb. 20 and Jacksonville on Saturday, Feb. 22.  Both games can be streamed live on ESPN+ or heard over the air on 92.5 WEKY.