LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine men's basketball team finally got to relax and enjoy a victory on Saturday afternoon as the Knights knocked off Great Lakes Valley Conference foe Quincy 90-66 in Knights Hall.
 
Bellarmine, which came into the contest having lost three straight close games, came out focused and determined, and those traits showed up on the stat sheet. At halftime, the Knights held a 46-30 lead with just one turnover and a rebounding margin of 17-11.  After the 20-minute halftime break due to homecoming festivities, Bellarmine was able to maintain that level of play and extended the margin to 24 by the 11:33 mark.   
 
Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport said his team's resiliency was a factor in today's win. "After having their hearts ripped out on Thursday night (on a last second 3-pointer by Truman State), we had a 1 o'clock practice (on Friday) and they were on the court at 11:30," he said. "Their resiliency was incredible, and all my goal was today—and we have all the analytical goals—was to stand at that door as a staff and congratulate them when they came in that locker room, and we did that tonight. The smiles and reactions on their faces was incredible."
 
The team numbers finished almost as strong for the game as they did in the first half.  Bellarmine ended the night with just six total turnovers while winning the battle of the backboards 41-27.
 
The Bellarmine defense did a solid job of denying Quincy's inside game, and the Hawks settled for hoisting up 3-pointers.  For the game, 37 of Quincy's 55 field goal attempts came from beyond the arc with only 11 of them finding the mark (29.7%). 
 
As a result of the Hawks' 3-point barrage, the Knights owned a 40-18 advantage in points in the paint.
 
Bellarmine took 15 fewer triples and made eight for 36.4 percent. However, much of the game, the Knights got high percentage shots and finished 31 of 59 from the field. 
 
The Knights got contributions from up and down the lineup with five players reaching double figures, led by Alex Cook with 14.  He was particularly tough down low, getting loose for four thunderous dunks and ripping down nine rebounds, many coming in heavy traffic.
 
Ethan Claycomb also had a big night for Bellarmine, coming off the bench for 11 points and three assists while turning in a perfect shooting night, draining all four of his field goals, including three from downtown.
 
In all, 15 players saw court time for the Knights with 13 finding the scoring column, and perhaps more impressively, 14 grabbing at least one rebound.  Ben Weyer, who returned to the lineup after missing two games with an ankle injury, was the lone Knight not to corral a board, but the 6-7 senior swatted two Quincy shots to set up rebounds for teammates.
 
Quincy's Viktor Kovacevic led all scorers with 20 points. He was one of the few Hawks effective from long range, hitting four of seven treys. Quincy falls to 12-12 on the season and 6-10 in league play.
 
Bellarmine, which improves to 17-6 overall and 10-6 in the GLVC, makes its final regular season road trip of the season next week when they'll take on Missouri S&T and Maryville.
 
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BOX SCORE (HTM)