Box Score LOUISVILLE, Ky.-In a clash of Great Lakes Valley Conference divisional leaders, the No. 5 Bellarmine University Knights surged past the Truman State Bulldogs 89-73 on Thursday evening in Knights Hall.

Sophomore Rusty Troutman had the hot hand for the Knights, pouring in a career high 24 points including hitting four of six three pointers and dishing out a team high four assists while corralling six rebounds. Senior Jake Thelen notched his 10thdouble double of the season with 17 points and 14 rebounds.

As has been their "M.O." the entire season, Bellarmine relied on good shooting and solid defense. The Knights shot 53.6 percent in the second half to finish just over 50 percent for the game while holding Truman State to 36.4 percent from the field.

The Bulldogs, who entered the contest leading the conference in 3-pointers made per game, showed why in the first half, connecting on eight of 17 deep balls. However, the visitors cooled considerably in the second half making just three of 15 triples.

"It was a tremendous win," said Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport, who chalked up career win number 220 in his 300th game as the Bellarmine coach. "It was all about the players...they deserve all the credit. (Truman State) is a great team. They outscored us 15 points from the three point line in the first half, and we were still up seven points." He added that rebounding and free throw shooting were key in Bellarmine's victory. "We do a great job from the line-82.8 (percent)-that's probably the difference in the game, and we were great on the backboards tonight," he said, referencing the Knights' 46-28 rebounding advantage.

Truman State's Seth Jackson opened the game's scoring with a three pointer, and the Bulldogs hung on to a slim lead the first five minutes of the game. The Knights didn't trail for long, however; and after George Suggs nailed a 3-pointer at the 9:06 mark of the first half, Bellarmine took the lead for good.

True to their nickname, the Bulldogs remained tenacious for the remainder of the 30-plus minutes. The Knights opened up double digit leads on several occasions, but Truman kept fighting back. It wasn't until the waning minutes of the game until the Knights distanced themselves comfortably. Bellarmine's largest lead was also the final victory margin-16 points.

Bellarmine's Chris Whitehead continued his solid play, dropping in 22 points on eight of 11 shooting and converting all six of his charity tosses. Suggs also finished in double digits with 10.

Senior Corbin Maynard provided a lift off the bench with five rebounds and three assists while turning in the hustle play of the game when he chased down a Truman player and threw himself perpendicular to the ground to knock away the ball just before a fast break layup. "You won't find a better play with more courage in any level of basketball anywhere in the world," Davenport said of Maynard's effort.

Jackson, the GLVC's leading scorer, again led the offense for the Bulldogs with 25 points, and Andrew Vander Zwaag chipped in 12 for the visitors.

The Knights improve to 19-2 overall and 11-1 in GLVC play while the Bulldogs slipped to 16-6, 8-4 GLVC.

Next up for the Knights is a Saturday afternoon game at home against Quincy. Tip is scheduled for 3:15 p.m.

BOX SCORE (HTM)