EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The No. 1 Bellarmine University men's basketball team rolled to one the most lopsided victories in school history as the Knights crushed the Malone University Pioneers 87-40 this afternoon in the second round of the Bill Joergens Memorial Classic hosted by the University of Southern Indiana. 

The Knights suffocated the Malone offense, holding the Pioneers to just 23.3 percent shooting and harassing them with 13 steals.  The 40 points by Malone is the fewest by a Bellarmine opponent since 1997, and the 47-point victory is the seventh largest win margin school history.

Bellarmine got big efforts from several players, but front line players Luke Sprague and Richie Phares led the way with 17 and 15 points respectively.  Starting guard Chris Dowe narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and a career high 10 rebounds.

“This was a big day for us,” said Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport.  “We win 87-40 with Jeremy, Braydon and Chris going 9-of-23 from the field. Today we stressed team all day, both offensively and defensively.” 

“Our bench came alive, today” Davenport added.  “Jelani Johnson had five rebounds and scored seven points on just hustle alone.”

Also making a big contribution off the bench was Keisten Jones, who posted 14 points and four rebounds as all 12 players who dressed for Bellarmine saw action.

The game was in Bellarmine's control from the outset.  The Knights held the Pioneers scoreless over the first six and a half minutes while building a 13-0 lead. 

Over the first 10 minutes of the game, neither team shot well with the Pioneers and Knights combining to hit just seven of 34 shots just 20.5 percent. 

The Knights continued to just get better and better as the game progressed, raising their shooting percentage to 44.8 by halftime, and in the second period, Bellarmine torched the nets for 60.7 percent to finish with a 52.6 shooting percentage.

Malone, which is transitioning to NCAA Division II, was facing its third top 20 DII opponent of the season.  After shocking No. 7 Findlay and breaking the Oilers' 71-game home winning streak with a 74-71 victory on Nov. 15, the Pioneers fell 83-47 last night to No. 12 Southern Indiana. 

Bellarmine runs its record to 5-0 while Malone falls to 2-3.

The Knights will continue its road play with its first Great Lakes Valley Conference games of the season this coming week.  On Thursday, Bellarmine faces the University of Indianapolis in a 7:45 p.m. game, and on Saturday, Bellarmine squares off against St. Joseph in an afternoon game.

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