LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The No. 2 Bellarmine University Knights roared past the visiting Wisconsin-Parkside Rangers 99-69 to record their 11th victory in a row this afternoon in a Great Lakes Conference contest in Knights Hall.
The host Knights took just a six-point lead into halftime, but rolled over the Rangers in the second half by turning up the defensive intensity and limiting UWP to just 30.8 shooting while filling the nets at a 63.6 percent clip over the same span.
Chris Dowe put up another monster night collecting a season high 25 points and hauling in eight rebounds. Not only did the junior from Eastern High School produce eye-popping statistics, but his acrobatic maneuvers on the court left some fans cheering wildly and others simply speechless.
In the first half, Dowe drove the baseline and was hit going up to the basket so he did a reverse 360 spin to get the basket and draw the foul. In the second period, Dowe jumped into the passing lane for a steal and a breakaway reverse double pump slam dunk that brought the crowd to its feet. Then just a few minutes later, Dowe put the icing on the cake by converting a layup that pushed his career point total to 1,001 and put the 85th point on the board which earned a Chick-fil-A sandwich for everyone in Knights Hall thanks to the “Drive for 85” promotion.
The game was far from a 1-man show, however, as
Luke Sprague (who entered Bellarmine's 1,000-point club on Thursday) contributed a career high eight assists to go along with four rebounds.
Jeremy Kendle also filled up the stat sheet for the Knights with 22 points, seven boards and four assists. Bellarmine Coach
Scott Davenport also praised junior transfer
Jelani Johnson's effort tonight, calling him “a really, really big contributor to this team.”
The Rangers, who fell to 8-9 (1-8 GLVC), were led by Jeremy Saffold with 17 points.
Davenport said he thought the most important element in winning the game was his players' disappointment in themselves at halftime. “I didn't have to say a word. The players did all the talking (in the locker room) at half,” he said. “The key was everyone collectively picked it up,” pointing out the team's deflection totals doubled in the second period.
“Objective measures are the statistics, and the numbers do not lie.” Davenport said, adding that UWP shot 51.7 percent in the first half, but made just nine of 33 shots (27.3 percent) in the second period. He also pointed to Kendle's effort in the second period. After not collecting a rebound in the first period, the Jeffersonville, Ind., native grabbed seven boards in just 13 minutes of action in the second half.
Bellarmine, which entered the game leading the nation in shooting, finished with a field goal percentage of 59.7 percent, including making 11 of 24 3-pointers. Of the Knights' 37 made baskets, 24 came off assists, indicating that the hot-shooting was a result of getting good shots.
The win pushed the Knights to 16-1 on the season with an 8-1 mark in the GLVC, which coupled with Kentucky Wesleyan's loss to Indianapolis today, moves Bellarmine into sole possession of first place in the GLVC East. Bellarmine's victory also opens the door for the Knights to reclaim the No. 1 national ranking as KWC, who is currently ranked first, lost twice this week.
The win was the Knights' fifth in just 10 days, one of only two GLVC teams to make it through that grueling stretch unscathed. Unfortunately for the Knights, the schedule doesn't get any easier. Coming on Thursday, Bellarmine hosts the No. 7 Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles. Then, the Knights have to travel to face Kentucky Wesleyan, currently ranked No. 1 in the nation on their floor on Saturday.
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