BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The Bellevue University women's basketball team, under head coach Dave Denly, announced today the signing of a pair of transfers from North Iowa Area Community College. Forward Morgan Cuffe (Lakeville, Minn./Lakeville South HS) and guard Riley Galvin (Cresco, Iowa/Crestwood HS) have both signed letters of intent to continue their academic and athletic careers at Bellevue beginning in the fall of 2017.
The daughter of Dan and Denise, Cuffe comes to Bellevue from NIACC after attending Lakeville South High School where she lettered for Coach Angie Ohnstad. She helped guide the Trojans to NJCAA National Tournament as a freshman before going to earn All-Tournament and First Team All-Region honors last season.
Cuffe averaged 7.3 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in her two seasons at NIACC, upping her scoring averaged from 6.4 as a freshman to 8.5 as a sophomore. She's an efficient shooter with a field goal percentage of 44.2 in 403 career attempts from the field. At the free throw line, she upped her percentage by nearly nine percentage points from her freshman (56.0%) to sophomore (64.9%) season. In two seasons in Mason City she totaled over 100 assists (108), averaged better than a steal per game (66 steals in 63 games) on the defensive end, and used her length to block 24 shots.
Coach Denly on Morgan Cuffe:
"We are thrilled to be able to add Morgan to the BU basketball family. We're hoping she will be able to step in and be a positive impact right away. She has the size and skillset to give opponents fits on both ends of the court. As we continue to build our program, we know Morgan will be a positive addition to the culture at Bellevue University.
The daughter of Mike and Paula, Galvin also comes to Bellevue from NIACC after attending Crestwood High School where she lettered for Coach Doug Sickles. She averaged 4.8 points and 3.1 assists per game as a senior at Crestwood and led the team with 24 made three-pointers. She helped her team reach the Iowa Girls High School Basketball State Tournament semi-finals as both a junior and senior. Galvin maintained a high academic standard as a four-year member of the High Honor Roll and National Honor Society while also being a four-sport athlete, also earning letters in softball, golf, and volleyball in addition to basketball.
Galvin improved her numbers across the board at NIACC from her freshman to sophomore season. Her scoring averaged increased from 2.5 to 3.9 points per game while doubling both her rebounds (37-to-79) and assist totals (22-to-44). Additionally, all of her shooting percentages – field goal (+9.0%), three-point (+9.7%), and free throw (+1.4%) – increased last season. She continued her strong work in the classroom, earning Dean's List and Second Team NJCAA All-Academic honors.
Coach Denly on Riley Galvin:
"We are excited to add Riley to our program. Guard play is so important at this level; you can never have too much depth at that position and Riley gives us another solid shooter on the perimeter to stretch opposing defenses. Riley is terrific student and will have a positive impact both on and off the court at Bellevue University."
Cuffe and Galvin join earlier signee Jamie Winkler (Louisville, Neb./Louisville HS) in the Bruins 2017 recruiting class.
The Bruins posted a 16-15 overall record as they completed their inaugural season in 2016-17. The team went 9-7 in NSAA play during the regular-season to earn a home game in the NSAA Tournament Quarterfinals. The team returns 11 letter-winners as they look to build on the foundation set in their debut campaign last season.
