LOUISVILLE, Ky.-- The No. 3 Bellarmine Knights jumped out to a huge 26-3 lead and rolled over Kentucky Wesleyan 90-51 in a nonconference game on Wednesday night at Knights Hall.  The victory gave Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport win no. 347, passing Coach Joe Reibel for most in school history.
 
"I said to the players, 'It never has, it never should be and it never will be about me,'" Davenport said. "Think about how many players, student managers, assistant coaches, and fans it took to get here. When I took the job, I said it's going to take everybody, it's taken everybody--and we're not done yet.
 
"It's such a gratifying accomplishment," Davenport said of the career wins record, "because I grew up in an era when you had more respect for teachers, coaches—people of that level—than anybody. And Joe Reibel…he was an iconic figure. I knew how great he was and how much he loved Bellarmine, and I think that's where it all starts."
 
Tonight, it all started with an avalanche of offense from the Knights while applying smothering defensive pressure.  In the game's first 9:01, Bellarmine made 11 of 14 shots including four treys.  During that same span, the Panthers made just one of nine shots and committed three turnovers.
 
Kentucky Wesleyan rallied to trim the deficit to 11 at the 4:51 mark of the half, but back-to-back three pointers by Alex Cook and Ben Weyer spurred a 15-2 run as the Knights took a 49-25 advantage into halftime.  
 
After the break, the Panthers scored the first basket to pull within 22, but that would be as close as they'd come.  Bellarmine extended the lead to as many as 41 in the second period with the final victory margin of 39 being the largest in the 106-game series history between Bellarmine and KWC.
 
The Knights were simply dominant in every phase of the game.  Offensively, Bellarmine shot 62.7 percent while dishing out 21 assists and committing just seven turnovers.  Defensively, the Knights held the Panthers to just 40.7 percent shooting and forced 21 KWC turnovers as the Knights chalked up 13 steals.
 
Bellarmine also forced the Panthers beyond the perimeter for most of their offense as 10 of KWC's 19 made baskets came from beyond the arc, resulting in a 54-14 points in the paint advantage for the Knights.
 
Senior forwards Weyer and Cook paced the Knights' offense with 19 and 17 points respectively.  Sophomore guard Dylan Penn turned in an efficient game, scoring 14 points on seven of eight shooting while handing out five assists without turning the ball over. Fifteen players saw action for Bellarmine with 11 finding the scoring column.
 
Mohamed Abu Arisha was the Panther in double digits with 13, hitting all six of his shots from the floor.
 
Bellarmine improves to 3-0 on the season, while KWC drops its season opener to start the year 0-1.
 
The Knights return to action in one week, going on the road to take on Lindenwood at 8 p.m. (7 p.m. CST) on Nov. 20.

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