Box Score LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Behind a perfect night from junior forward Jake Thelen, the No. 2 Bellarmine Knights kept their season perfect with an 89-79 victory over a tenacious Missouri S&T team in a Great Lakes Valley Conference contest Saturday afternoon in Knights Hall.

Thelen connected on all seven field goals and all eight free throws he attempted to lead four Knights in double digit scoring with 22 points as Bellarmine improved to 12-0 overall and 4-0 in the GLVC.  Senior guard Vance Hall flirted with a triple double, finishing with 10 points, eight rebounds, and a career high 10 assists. 

Bellarmine shot 65.3 percent, held their opponents to just 39.7 percent, and outrebounded the Miners 34-22.  Despite the statistical advantages for the Knights, Missouri S&T kept the game close by hitting 10 of 22 three point attempts and forcing 17 turnovers.

"We had to play every second of the game," said Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport, "and that's against a team that hadn't won a game in our league but has played Indianapolis, Southern Indiana, Drury, and Bellarmine--all top 19 teams in the nation.  It's just the best league in the country.  Our kids understand that in this league it's every possession every night.  I'm very proud of them tonight."

Bellarmine opened the game on fire, jumping out to quick 10-0 lead as the Knights hit their first four shots, including two from beyond the arc.  Following a timeout from the Miners, S&T slowly climbed back into the game and took a brief one-point lead before two Donnie Hall free throws gave the Knights a 37-36 halftime lead.

The Miners, who came into the game averaging 93.8 points per game (third in the nation), reclaimed the lead just 10 seconds into the second period when Michael Nesbit drained a three.  Bellarmine then turned the ball over on their next three possessions, prompting Davenport to replace his three-member backcourt.  The trio of Michael Parrish, Corbin Maynard and Rusty Troutman provided the Knights with a spark that turned a four-point deficit into a seven point lead.

"Little Mike and Corbin were phenomenal tonight," Davenport said.  "What a spark. They deserve a lot of credit, but the key to this team is that when things weren't going well and we put them in, the guys they went in for were the biggest cheerleaders in Knights Hall."

The Knights extended the lead to 11 on two different occasions, and held off the Miners' comeback attempt by going eight for eight from the charity stripe in the last two and a half minutes of the game.

In addition to Thelen and Hall, the Knights got double digit scoring from Keisten Jones with 17 and Josh Derksen with 10. 

Missouri S&T (5-8, 0-5 GLVC) was paced by Bryce Foster and Danylo Zuikov, who poured in 23 points apiece to tie for game-high honors.

Bellarmine returns to action on Thursday evening when they host No. 19 Indianapolis at 8 p.m. in Knights Hall.

BOX SCORE (HTM)