LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The No. 3 Bellarmine Knights rolled to a 78-59 victory over Lewis in their 2017-18 Great Lakes Valley Conference debut today at Knights Hall.
 
Bellarmine, which improved to 7-0 on the season, led from wire-to-wire and by as many as 27 in the second half.  Fueling much of the Knights' success was outstanding shooting from three-point range. Bellarmine knocked down 12 of 26 shots from downtown while the Flyers made just five of 15.
 
Overall, the Knights shot 52.8 percent from the floor with Bellarmine utilizing its hallmark crisp passing to total 21 assists on 28 made baskets.
 
"I am really proud of our guys," said Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport. "We were able to play 14 players tonight against a team that took Southern Indiana to overtime on Thursday."
 
Davenport added that the Knights had just completed an arduous 2,900-mile road trip the week before and the team had the added stress of end-of-the-semester academic requirements.
 
"Tonight all we wanted to do was to defend as a family—that means for and with each other—and attack as a family…and we did.  I think the 21 assists is indicative of that."
 
Bellarmine got out to a fast start, hitting 10 of the its first 15 shots and opened up a 20-point cushion with 2:17 remaining in the first period.
 
The Knights kept the momentum going in the second half and when Brent Bach swished a jumper at the 11:39 mark Bellarmine enjoyed its biggest lead at 61-34.
 
Ben Weyer led all scorers tonight with 19 for the Knights.  The 6-7 sophomore netted seven of his 12 field goals and converted half of his six three-point attempts.
 
Bellarmine also got a 14-point, nine-rebound, three-assist effort from preseason All-American Adam Eberhard with Bach and Daniel Ramser scoring 10 apiece. Jarek Coles dished out six of BU's 21 assists.
 
Knights fans also were happy to see Tyler Jenkins return to the hardwood. The senior guard made his first appearance since an injury in the opening game of the season.  Jenkins finished with eight points in 14 minutes of action.
 
The Flyers (2-6, 0-2 GLVC) were paced by Nick Norton with 14 points while Cristen Wilson added 11 despite playing just 15 minutes due to foul trouble.
 
The Knights return to action on Thursday when they host GLVC foe Wisconsin-Parkside in an 8 p.m. game.
 
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