LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine University men's basketball team stormed to a 20-point first half advantage, and slammed the door shut in the second, en route to a 81-71 victory over No. 2 University of Southern Indiana on Saturday night in front of 2,205 boisterous fans at Knights Hall.

With the win, Bellarmine (19-8, 12-6 GLVC) secured a first round bye and home court advantage for the second round of the Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament, which will start next weekend.

 “The passing of the ball, the defense, the rebounds, and the precision was fun to watch,” Bellarmine Head Coach Scott Davenport said.  “We were on a mission, and I'm very proud of everyone on this team.”

The Knights scored 23 of the game's first 28 points, highlighted by two consecutive three-pointers, pushing the advantage to 21-5 with 14:31 remaining in the period.

Luke Sprague had a career-high 21 points, off 7-of-12 shooting from the field in 29 minutes.  He also collected seven rebounds in the contest.

Jeremy Kendle added 18 points and game-highs nine rebounds and eight assists.  Chris Dowe tallied16 points, tying a career high, highlighted by a put-back dunk with 13:39 left in the opening frame.

The game was the final regular season home contest for seniors Doug Davenport, Kevin Allen, Andrew Parks, Steve Pogue, Mark Veith and Oladapo Fagbenle, as well as Homecoming 2010.

“The dedication all of these guys have put in has been phenomenal,” Davenport said.  “All will graduate from Bellarmine, and are truly a credit to this program and this university.”

Southern Indiana's Jamar Smith led all scorers with 23 points.  Mohamed Ntumba led the Screaming Eagles with eight rebounds, while Marvin Gray dished out five assists.

The Knights will face the winner of Saturday's first round contest on Sunday at 1 p.m.  Ticket availability will be posted on the Bellarmine Athletics website as soon as the information becomes available.

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