Box Score LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Bellarmine University's Vance Hall swished home a 3-pointer with just 2.6 seconds in regulation to propel the Knights into overtime where they closed out Marian University 77-71 in Bellarmine's regular season opener in Knights Hall on Saturday night.

With Bellarmine (1-0) trailing by three in the late going, Marian's Chad Roberts was whistled for an illegal screen, which turned the ball over to BU with just nine ticks left on the clock.  Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport called for a time out to set up a play.  On the ensuing possession, Hall had control on the right wing, and when the defender played for a pass, the Frankfort, Ky., senior stepped back and drained the crucial triple to tie the score at 64-64.

The near capacity crowd roared, and the home team carried that momentum into the overtime period by bolting out to a 70-64 lead on back to back treys from George Suggs and Keisten Jones. Although the Marian squad battled back, Bellarmine never surrendered the lead and executed well down the stretch to hold on for the 77-71 victory.

"(Marian) is a veteran team," said Davenport. "They play nine guys and they're all juniors and seniors.  Todd Lickliter is a great basketball coach, so we knew this was going to happen. This was a great test for us," said Davenport.  "Our late game poise was super…I was incredibly proud of the poise our guys played with."

Bellarmine broke out to a quick 7-0 lead to start the game, but turnovers and second chance points from Marian, helped the visiting Knights fight back to surge ahead by three at the break.  The home Knights found themselves playing from behind the majority of the second half, taking just one brief lead at the 2:44 mark.

Jones carried the bulk of the scoring load for Bellarmine, netting 27 points on 8-of-10 shooting and converting nine of 13 free throws.  Marian's Aaron Evans led all scorers with 28, which was fueled by 5-of-6 3-point shooting.

Hall had a solid outing for Bellarmine with eight points, eight rebounds, and six assists.  Meanwhile, Suggs was a defensive force with four blocked shots as the 6-10 sophomore ended his night with 14 points, three assists and four rebounds.  Also reaching double figures were Jake Thelen, who was hampered by foul trouble, but still managed 11 points on 5-of-5 shots, and freshman Josh Derksen, who scored 10 points in 14 minutes of action.

Bellarmine blistered the nets for a 57.1 shooting percentage, but coughed the ball up 17 times on turnovers, which the Marian Knights turned into 19 points.   The visitors shot just 37.9 percent from the field, but were able to keep pace with 12 offensive rebounds as they held an 18-2 advantage in second chance points.

Another stern test awaits Bellarmine as the Knights next take the floor on Saturday, Nov. 23 when they host Christian Brothers in an 8 p.m. game.

BOX SCORE (HTM)