LOUISVILLE, Ky.—The Bellarmine Knights took control early and never let the 24th-ranked Southern Indiana Screaming Eagles make a serious run to post a 78-63 win in a pivotal Great Lakes Valley Conference game at Knights Hall on Thursday night.
 
After the visitors scored the game's first bucket to take a 2-0 lead, the Knights scored the next six points and never trailed the rest of the way.  Bellarmine built a 10-point advantage less than 10 minutes into the game and went into halftime holding a 38-25 lead after Ethan Claycomb banked home a short runner just seconds before the buzzer.
 
Bellarmine was particularly impressive on the glass in the first period.  The Screaming Eagles came in leading the league in rebounding margin, but the Knights claimed 14 of the 16 opportunities they had at the defensive end while raking in nine offensive boards in the first 20 minutes. 
 
In the second period, Bellarmine saw its lead shrink to just seven at the 15:45 mark, but the Knights' defense stiffened, and the Screaming Eagles could get no closer.  Bellarmine slowly rebuilt a double digit and saw its cushion swell to 19 at the 3:52 mark before coasting in for a 15-point victory.
 
"This started two weeks ago," said Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport of his team's good play. "We started on an uptick. It continued on the road last weekend and continued in practice this week and transferred it to the game.  This is the time.  This is what you play for."
 
"They're the hottest team in the league," Davenport said of Southern Indiana. "They'd won seven in a row, and we have as much respect for them as anybody. We've done a great job of staying in the moment.  Our guys deserve a lot of credit."
 
Senior Alex Cook continued his hot play of late, pouring in a game-high 23 points while hauling in a team-best eight rebounds. Cook had plenty of help.  Pedro Bradshaw pitched in 15 points and grabbed six boards while Dylan Penn added 10 points with seven rebounds.
 
The Knights shot just 45.5 percent, which is well below their average of 53 percent, but Bellarmine's defense and ball control provided 14 more shots than the Screaming Eagles.  Bellarmine committed just six turnovers on the night and held USI to 42.3 percent shooting.
 
Bellarmine made just 11 trips to the charity stripe but cashed in all 11 times while the Screaming Eagles made 16 of 24 free throws.
 
Emmanuel Little tossed in 19 points to lead the Screaming Eagles while Josh Price contributed a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.
 
Bellarmine made it 12 straight years with at least 20 wins with tonight's victory as the Knights improve to 20-6 overall and 13-6 in the GLVC.  Southern Indiana falls to 21-6, 13-6 GLVC. 
 
The Knights play their final regular season game of the year on Saturday, taking on McKendree at 3:15 p.m. Prior to the game, Bellarmine will hold senior day activities to honor Cook, Ben Weyer, Parker Chitty and Chris Palombizio. 
 
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