LEBANON, Ill.—The No. 7 Bellarmine Knights closed out the first half with a 26-7 run to blow open a tight game and roll past the host McKendree Bearcats 95-66 in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game at the Statham Center on Saturday afternoon.
 
After going into halftime with a 47-27 advantage, the Knights came out even stronger in the second period and extended the margin to as many as 39 points before coasting home to register the 29-point victory.
 
Bellarmine (6-1, 2-0 GLVC) posted eye-popping statistics in the game, shooting 60.3 percent from the floor and holding the Bearcats to just 37.9. The Knights outscored the physically bigger McKendree team 48 to 14 in the paint with excellent interior passing, chalking up 25 assists on 38 made baskets.
 
Outstanding individual performances also were plentiful for the Knights as all 12 players who saw action scored in the game.
 
Sophomore Adam Eberhard poured in 20 points to lead the Knights while senior guard Al Davis flirted with a triple double, scoring 17 with nine rebounds and six assists in just 27 minutes of action.
 
Junior Tyler Jenkins turned in his best performance as a Knight, making six of seven field goals to finish with 17 points.
 
"This was a great day," said Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport. "The numbers speak for themselves."
 
Looking beyond the numbers, Davenport singled out Skyler Hunter as having a big day. The sophomore scored four points on two of five shooting but impressed his coach with his style of play. "(Skyler) really got moving to the rim and being athletic, and those are the things he needs to do," Davenport explained.
 
Another bright spot for the Knights was the season debut of freshman Ben Weyer, who logged 10 minutes of floor time and scored two points and pulled down a rebound. The 6-7 forward suffered a foot injury in preseason practice and missed all three exhibitions and the first six regular season games.
 
McKendree (2-4, 0-2 GLVC) was led by Darin Winkleman with 21 points.  The 6-6 senior came into today's game with just four 3-pointers all season, but connected on five of 12 triples today to lead the Bearcats.
 
Bellarmine stays on the road for its next contest, travelling to Memphis to take on Christian Brothers in a non-conference game on Wednesday night.
 
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