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Bellarmine University Athletics

BU at USI 3

No.1 Bellarmine upset by No. 11 USI

2/16/2012 10:56:00 PM

EVANSVILLE, Ind. – The No. 1 Bellarmine University men's basketball team saw its school record 17-game win streak snapped in a 75-72 loss to No. 11 University of Southern Indiana on Thursday night at the Physical Activities Center.
 
Chris Dowe's desperation three-point attempt to tie the game from beyond the left wing as time expired bounced off the front iron, as the capacity crowd stormed the court.
 
Bellarmine (22-2, 14-2) shot a season-low 43.1 percent (25-58) from the field for the game, and was outrebounded 42-32 on the evening, the second time this season BU has been outhustled by double digits on the glass.  The other time came in a 99-94 overtime loss at the University of Indianapolis on Dec. 1.
 
“It's very frustrating,” Bellarmine Head Coach Scott Davenport said following the game.  “(USI) missed 31 shots, and had 15 offensive rebounds, and that's not something that can happen if you are going to play like a great basketball team.”
 
Southern Indiana's Lawrence Thomas took over in the final three minutes of the contest, scoring a pair of three-pointers and two critical free throws to lead the Screaming Eagles to the upset win after trailing by as many as 16 points.
 
Braydon Hobbs tied a season high with 20 points off 7-15 shooting from the field.  His two assists tied a season low.  As a team, BU dished out 11 assists, but only three in the second half.
 
Keisten Jones (16), Dowe (14), and Jeremy Kendle (13) were the other double figure scorers for Bellarmine.  Dowe collected a team-high eight rebounds.
 
Luke Sprague found himself in foul trouble the majority of the game.  He scored nine points in 23 minutes before fouling out with 21.3 seconds to play in the contest.
 
Southern Indiana took their first lead of the game at 48-47 with 17:07 remaining when Kenyon Smith converted on a layup in transition off a pass by Isaac McClure.
 
The Knights quickly regained the lead, and pushed the margin to as many as four points with 7:54 to play when Dowe provided the highlight of the night for BU with a steal at the top of the key before racing down the floor for a one-handed slam dunk, giving the visitors a 60-56 lead
 
Bellarmine came out firing and dominated the game's opening minutes.  Bellarmine obtained their largest lead of the game at 25-9 with 12:30 to play in the half when Dowe drove the baseline for a short jumper, was fouled, and converted the ensuing free throw.
 
“There are going to be nights where our shots don't fall,” Davenport said.  “We did not do a great job of execution, and that comes down to fundamentals.”
 
Bellarmine concludes their home regular season schedule on Saturday night against No. 12 Kentucky Wesleyan College.  The Knights defeated the then-No. 7 Panthers 80-68 on Jan. 28 in Owensboro.  Tipoff is scheduled for approximately 8 p.m. at Knights Hall, and will be preceded by Senior Night recognition for Hobbs, Sprague, and Aaron Robison.
 
“Our three seniors deserve a great ovation for all their work with the program,” Davenport said.

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