DETROIT, Mich.--The Bellarmine University men's basketball team suffered the season's first loss today, falling 84-74 in double overtime to Wayne State University.

"It was a tough loss, because of our poor execution," said Bellarmine Head Coach Scott Davenport. "(Wayne State) is a good team and a tough road opponent. The stat of the game is that they shot 58 percent in the second half and two overtimes."

The Warriors (1-1) were a two-headed monster today as Bryan Wright and Bryan Smothers combined for 55 of Wayne State's 84 points.  Wright made 11 of 21 field goals attempts including 4 of 8 from beyond the arc on his way to a 29 point performance. Smothers, meanwhile, hit seven of 12 shots and was 10 of 12 from the line for his 26 points.

Bellarmine (2-1) placed four players in double figures led by Justin Benedetti with 18 while Nick Holmes added 17 and Braydon Hobbs contributed 13.

The Knights, playing for first time this year on their opponent's floor, started the game on fire and raced out to 25-8 lead in the first 11 minutes thanks to hot shooting and solid board work on the defensive end. The Warriors came back to trim Bellarmine's lead to just 31-22 at halftime by forcing Bellarmine into turnovers and going to work on the offensive glass. 

In the second half, Wayne State found success going one on one against the Bellarmine defenders to get a shot or draw a foul.  The Warriors were 13 of 15 in the second half from the foul line.  The Knights continued to commit turnovers that took away scoring opportunities, and Wayne State took its first lead with 8:41 remaining in regulation.

From that point neither team held more than a three point lead for the rest of the second half. Wayne State posted their biggest lead of regulation with just 1:29 remaining, but Bellarmine's Andrew Patterson hit a 3-pointer to tie the game to send it into overtime.

In the first overtime period, Bellarmine again found themselves down three late.  This time, it was Hobbs hitting a 3-pointer at the 23-second mark to force another overtime.

In the second overtime period, Wayne State sandwiched two 3-pointers around a missed shot from Bellarmine to take a six-point lead.  While the Knights continued to misfire, the Warriors continued to convert on the offensive end and hit all four of their free throws to post the double digit victory.

For the game, Wayne State held a 25-16 advantage in points off turnovers as the Knights turned the ball over 22 times while forcing only 13 turnovers. Bellarmine did hit 51 percent from the field, but were beaten 36-33 on the boards.

Bellarmine returns to action on Friday, Nov. 27th as they face Michigan Tech in the Bill Joergenson Invitational hosted by the University of Southern Indiana. 

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