LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University men's basketball team played its first-ever Division I home game in its new home venue of Freedom Hall on Wednesday evening.

Facing undefeated Chattanooga, Bellarmine took a lead in the second half, but the Mocs were ultimately too potent from 3-point range in turning back the Knights 77-68.

Despite the result, it was a special event for the Knights and Coach Scott Davenport, who previously was an assistant coach at Louisville when the Cardinals played in Freedom Hall along with coaching Ballard (Ky.) High School to the 1988 state title in the venue.

"I don't like the outcome, but this game was great for college basketball," Davenport said. "It was incredibly special and gratifying how hard everyone worked to pull it off."

Junior guard Pedro Bradshaw racked up a game-high and career-best 22 points on 10-of-14 shooting with six rebounds and three assists for Bellarmine (1-2). Junior guard Dylan Penn nearly reached 20 points for the second straight contest before finishing with 19 and a career-high six assists against Chattanooga (5-0). Senior forward Ethan Claycomb collected nine points, five rebounds and three assists and sophomore forward Sam DeVault chipped in eight points.

Bellarmine tallied more field goals than Chattanooga, 26-25, and hit more free throws, 13-10, but the Mocs piled up 17 3-pointers on 36 attempts compared to three on 11 chances for the Knights. Chattanooga came into the game averaging about seven treys on 21 attempts per game. The Mocs canned 10 from deep in the first half and seven more from long range after the intermission.

"Mathematically, you can't win that game," Davenport said of the gap in 3-pointers made. "At the end of the day, that's what the game boiled down to."

Chattanooga had four scorers in double figures. Malachi Smith posted 18 points, A.J. Caldwell and Jamaal Walker had 15 apiece and David Jean-Baptiste added 14. That foursome combined for all but one of the team's 17 3-pointers, with Caldwell and Walker sinking five apiece.

After trailing 40-36 at halftime and by seven after Chattanooga opened the second half with a 3-pointer, Bellarmine surged ahead 49-46 behind a 13-3 run capped by a Claycomb trifecta. The Knights remained ahead with 11 minutes left after Penn found DeVault for a dunk.

Chattanooga took back control at 60-53 with an 8-0 run that featured a pair of 3-pointers. With a little under seven minutes left, Penn spotted Bradshaw in transition for basket to cut the deficit to three, but the Mocs followed with consecutive 3-pointers and the Knights never got closer than six thereafter.

"We've got to have more aggressive closeouts and make the shooter put the ball on the floor," Davenport said.

Still, the Knights coach saw plenty of encouraging signs. Bellarmine had a 40-12 advantage in points in the paint and shot a respectable 46.4 percent, including an even 50 percent in the first half.

"The biggest positive is our players are not satisfied, and that was against a 4-0 team," Davenport said. "Give Chattanooga credit, but they felt like they should have won this game."

Bellarmine is back on the road for its next outing, when the Knights travel to Morgan State for a 1 p.m. (ET) contest Sunday.

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