LOUISVILLE, Ky.--The No. 4 Bellarmine University men's basketball team played a near flawless first half of basketball and cruised to a 92-62 win over Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Rockhurst this afternoon in Knights Hall.

Shooting a sizzling 71 percent from the field in the first half, Bellarmine raced to 53-30 halftime advantage. Junior Braydon Hobbs led the first half attack with a stat line that included 13 points, eight assists and just one turnover.  As a team, the Knights had 17 assists while hitting on 22 of 31 field goal attempts, including 5-10 from 3-point range.

"I don't think we're a team that lets the ball going in the hole affect their attitude," said Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport.  "We were all about defending today and establishing the tempo of the game with our defense. What was extraordinary was how well we passed it. Our first seven baskets were all on assists, and that set the tone for the day."

After coming out a bit cold to start the second period--Bellarmine was outscored 9-0 over the first five minutes--the Knights sprang back to re-establish their dominance over the Hawks.  Senior Jeremy Kendle led the Knights in the second period, scoring 11 second half points on 5-6 shooting. The Jeffersonville native finished with a team high 19 points to lead four Knights in double figures.

All 14 Bellarmine players dressed for the game saw action and 12 players broke into the scoring column.  Hobbs finished with 18 points, 10 assists and pulled down four rebounds.  He also rejected two shots and tied his career high with five steals.

Bellarmine, which came into the game leading the GLVC in shooting and ranked ninth nationally, finished shooting 59.6 percent while holding the Hawks to just 39 percent.  Led by Luke Sprague's eight rebounds, the Knights also won the battle of the boards in convincing fashion, hauling in 39 caroms to just 24 for the Hawks.

A bright spot for Rockhurst was the play of Brandon McCann, who led all scorers with 27 points.  The freshman for the Hawks hit 10 of 18 field goals and was five of 11 from beyond the 3-point arc. 

The win elevates Bellarmine's record to 13-1 and a perfect 6-0 in GLVC play, which puts them in first place in the East Division over the Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles, who are 13-1, 5-1.  Rockhurst falls to 4-10, 2-4.

For Bellarmine, today's game was the fourth in just seven days, and the sixth in the past 10 days, and only the final two games were at home.

"You gain confidence as a coach or as a player from preparation," Davenport said. "That six games in 10 days and grueling travel schedule will prepare us  for the drive for postseason play.  That was our whole goal today."

Bellarmine finally gets a bit of a break before coming back on Thursday to host the Missouri-St. Louis Tritons, who are leading the GLVC West Division with a 4-2 league record. Tip is scheduled for 8 p.m.

"We had another tremendous crowd here today," Davenport said.  "and just think if all 1910 people here today brought just one person with them to the game on Thursday... I keep beating that drum but these guys deserve that."

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