Box Score LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The No. 2 Bellarmine University Knights suffered their first loss of the season as the No. 14 Indianapolis Greyhounds pulled off the 81-79 upset in Knights Hall on Thursday night in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game.
The Knights led 77-74 with 2:03 remaining, but Bellarmine came up empty on their next three possessions while UIndy converted an old-fashioned three-point play, then went 4-of-4 from the free throw line in the final 30 seconds to complete the upset.
Keisten Jones' follow basket as time expired made the final margin just two.
"This is a tough loss," said Bellarmine Coach
Scott Davenport. "They are very, very good team. They're 12 and one for a reason, and the guards were much the best."
The ninth year coach said defense was a major factor in the loss, adding that the Knights had a season low 19 deflections and gave up 58 percent shooting in the second half. "Then, when you miss layups and you miss wide open shots and miss free throws you can't win the game."
Bellarmine opened the game with a flourish, sprinting out to a 7-0 lead in the first two minutes, but the Greyhounds came back to tie it at 11 with 13:08 to go in the first half. After UIndy took their first lead of the game at 14-13, the combatants traded spurts. First, Bellarmine went on an 8-0 run, but the Hounds answered by scoring seven straight to trim the lead to 21-20.
The two GLVC powers slugged it out the rest of the first period that featured six lead changes and four ties. The Knights managed a 35-32 halftime advantage on
Josh Derksen trey with 38 seconds remaining.
The second half proved to be a classic back and forth affair with neither team owning more than a six point lead. Bellarmine made a conscious effort to work the ball on the inside early in the second half as the Knights' low post player,
Jake Thelen, scored BU's first 11 points of the second half. The Greyhounds kept pace by heating up from the outside and made three triples in the first three minutes of the second period.
Until the Bellarmine drought late in the game, the teams traded the lead 13 times in the closing period and there were six ties.
Bellarmine's
Keisten Jones and UIndy's Tyrae Robinson each notched 19 points to tie for game-high scoring honors. Four more Knights hit double figures with Thelen netting 18,
George Suggs scoring 12, and
Tanner Gibson and Derksen scoring 10 each. Reece Cheatham was UIndy's only other double digit scorer with 17.
Shooting percentages were well off each team's season averages as Bellarmine and UIndy entered tonight's game as the first and sixth best shooting teams in NCAA Division II. The Knights hit on just 46.6 percent (27-58) of their shots, while the Hounds managed just 28 of 63 for 44.4 percent. Free throw shooting was also poor for both squads with Bellarmine converting only 19 of 32 attempts for a season low 59.4 percent. Indianapolis was just slightly better at 60.7 percent (17-28).
Bellarmine claimed a one-rebound advantage (40-39) in the battle of the backboards as Thelen and Jones led the way with 10 apiece as Jones set a new career high in rebounds.
Bellarmine slips to 12-1 overall and 4-1 in the GLVC, while UIndy improved its record to mirror the Knights at 12-1, 4-1 GLVC.
The Knights return to action on Saturday afternoon when they face Saint Joseph's in a 3:15 game at Knights Hall.
BOX SCORE (HTM)
