ST. LOUIS—The No. 5/7 Bellarmine Knights closed with a flourish to overcome a hot-shooting Maryville team and record a 79-64 victory in a Great Lakes Valley Conference game on Thursday night in Moloney Arena.
 
The host Saints (8-18, 2-12 GLVC) jarred eight of 11 second half treys to stay within striking distance, but Bellarmine senior Rusty Troutman nailed three trifectas in the final 4:24 to help keep the Knights in front. Adam Eberhard and Al Davis also converted layups in the final minutes as Bellarmine converted all five of its field goals and both of its free throws in the game's final five minutes.
 
Bellarmine (21-3, 13-1 GLVC) never trailed in the game, but the Knights' biggest lead was the 15-point final margin as Maryville kept pace with clutch shooting. The home team finished an even 50 percent from the field and nine of 17 from 3-point land.
 
However, the Saints couldn't capitalize on their hot shooting because the Knights outperformed Maryville from the field. Bellarmine blistered the nets with 58 percent shooting as the Knights dished out 25 assists on 29 made baskets.
 
"I'm very proud of our players," said Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport, "because this was a tough, tough win. You had to earn every point tonight. I've got as much respect for (Maryville Coach) Kevin Carroll as any young coach in this game…he is tremendous."
 
Bellarmine scored the game's first bucket, and after Maryville tied it at two apiece, Tyler Jenkins' old-fashioned 3-point play put the Knights in the lead for good. But, the Knights couldn't get separation from the Saints due to turnover problems. Bellarmine committed 11 of their season-high 18 turnovers in the first half.
 
"I think the turnovers were not due to great defensive pressure," Davenport explained. "They (Maryville) just get you out of sync and out of rhythm. They press to slow you down, then they pack in tight to make you use the clock and get you where you have no rhythm late in the clock. So you give them credit for that."
 
Coming out of halftime, the Saints closed to within 37-32 with a 7-2 run, but Bellarmine answered and extended its lead to 12 over the next 4:15.
 
Again, Maryville battled back and closed the gap to just six at the 4:48 mark. That's when Troutman came up big with back to back triples that sandwiched a Maryville turnover and the Knights' lead swelled to 12 with just 3:33 remaining on the clock.
 
Troutman finished with 19 points to lead all scorers.  The Mt. Washington, Kentucky native had a complete game for the Knights, making seven of 11 field goal attempts, including five of six treys, while hauling in six rebounds, dishing out six assists and coming up with four steals.
 
Jenkins tied his career high in points with 17, and Eberhard contributed another solid performance with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. Davis tied Troutman for game-high assist honors with six, and freshman Alex Cook was the top producer from off the bench, chipping in 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting.
 
Anthony Johnson led the Saints with 16 points while Forrester Sims added 15 points and five rebounds.
 
Bellarmine won the rebounding battle 28-19, and converted 12 of its 13 free throws for 92.3 percent.
 
On Saturday, the Knights play their final true road game of the season when they visit Missouri-St. Louis for a 4 p.m. (EST) matchup.
 
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