EVANSVILLE, Ind.—The No. 6 ranked Bellarmine men's basketball team opened Great Lakes Valley Conference play on Thursday evening with a 75-62 loss against the University of Southern Indiana at the Physical Activities Center.

The Knights shot 40 percent from the field for the game, but allowed Southern Indiana to shoot 54 percent, led by guard Jamar Smith's 28 points and five rebounds.  10 of those points came in the first five minutes of the second half, a critical juncture during which the Screaming Eagles extended their lead from five at the break to 14.

Jeremy Kendle and Justin Benedetti paced the Knights in the scoring department, scoring 15 and 11 respectively.  Braydon Hobbs scored nine points off 3-8 shooting, but led the team in rebounds with seven.

Bellarmine (4-1, 0-1 GLVC) fell behind quickly, allowing the first six points of the contest.  The Knights trailed by as many as 11 points in the first half before tying the game on three separate occasions by the 3:26 mark.

USI (8-2, 1-0 GLVC) had four players score in double figures.  Center Jeron Lewis scored 12 points and led the squad with seven rebounds.

Bellarmine committed 11 turnovers, compared to six assists, while Southern Indiana dished out 14 while turning the ball over an equal amount of times.

The Knights hit the road for their last conference game before the New Year on Saturday night with a game against Kentucky Wesleyan College.  Tipoff is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. at the Owensboro Sportscenter.

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