EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Rusty Troutman wore a boot. His Bellarmine University men's basketball teammates did the stomping.

In a rematch of the 2015 DII Final Four that was mired in controversy and ultimately won by Florida Southern in the waning seconds, the third-ranked Knights exorcised some demons on the same Ford Center floor where they experienced overwhelming heartbreak, throttling the Moccasins 97-61 on Saturday in the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic.

"We had the mindset of four or five guys on the team remember that moment," said junior guard Brent Bach, who tied a career high with 16 points. "We got texts from (2015 teammates and grads) Jake (Thelen) and Corbin (Maynard) that said we had to get it. As long as we played Bellarmine basketball, we were going to be alright. And we did."

Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport was included in the group text with Thelen and Maynard.

"Those two guys poured out their hearts for this university. (That passion they still have) is what this program is all about," Davenport said. "That was 40 minutes of Bellarmine basketball."

The high-profile game was broadcast on ESPN3, and the Knights (3-1) were at their best on the national stage against Florida Southern (1-4) despite the absence of All-American Troutman, a senior guard who was injured in the second half of Bellarmine's 81-68 victory over No. 5 Alabama-Huntsville on Friday. In addition to Bach tying a career high, senior guard Al Davis set a career high with 23 points and had a game-high six assists.

Sophomore forward Adam Eberhard led all rebounders with eight and also scored 23, one shy of the career best he posted the day before against UAH in his hometown of Evansville. Junior guard Tyler Jenkins chipped in 11 points, while senior forward George Knott had eight, four assists and four rebounds. Eberhard and Davis were selected to the All-Classic Team.

Bellarmine shot a blistering 59.3 percent from the floor and held Florida Southern to 31.8 percent shooting. The Knights buried 11 3-pointers, with Knott, Eberhard, Davis, Jenkins and Bach all sinking two each, had a 42-29 rebounding advantage, a 28-9 points off turnovers advantage and they nailed 22 of 26 free throws for an 84.6 percent clip.

Again, this thoroughly dominant effort came with Troutman in street clothes.

"Everybody on the bench and the floor knew it was time to step up," Bach said. "Rusty was so positive on the bench. It's tough to lose such a great player, but everybody stepped up and we came out with a big win."

"At halftime, (Troutman) told me his foot felt a lot better, the best it felt all day," Davenport said, laughing.

A 43-29 lead at the intermission must have accelerated the healing process. Bellarmine took the lead for good on a Bach 3-pointer with 6:02 left in the first half. That trey and another by Bach bookended a 12-0 Knights run that put Bellarmine firmly in control.

Eberhard opened the second half with a putback, and Davis followed a free throw by finding Jenkins on the fast break for a layup and a 48-29 lead. That essentially sealed the deal. An Eberhard free throw bumped the lead to 20, and it rose to 30 on his jumper. Freshman forward Alex Cook put the finishing touch on the win by drilling Bellarmine's 11th 3-pointer.

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