LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For the second straight game, the Bellarmine University men's basketball team pushed ASUN preseason favorite Lipscomb to the brink.

But for the second consecutive contest, the Bisons found a way to pull out the win in the waning minutes.

On Saturday in Freedom Hall, Lipscomb completed the regular-season sweep of the Knights by clipping them 65-58.

Junior guard Dylan Penn paced Bellarmine (3-5, 0-2 ASUN) with 16 points and seven rebounds, and junior guard Pedro Bradshaw added 12 points and four assists. After a quiet Friday performance, ASUN Preseason Player of the Year Ahsan Asadullah posted game highs of 19 points and 11 rebounds and tied for game-high honors in assists with four for Lipscomb (8-6, 3-1), which never trailed.

"Tonight they led for 40 minutes," Knights Coach Scott Davenport said. "We just never could get over the hump. First of all, you've got to give them credit. They're really good."

After trailing by as many as 15 in the first half, Bellarmine whittled Lipcomb's lead to 56-54 with 2:50 left in regulation after a pair of free throws by senior guard CJ Fleming capped a 7-0 run. Lipscomb's KJ Johnson halted the run with a basket and Bellarmine proceeded to miss a pair of shots bracketing a turnover.

Johnson knocked down a pair of free throws after the second Knights miss for a 60-54 lead with 52 seconds left and sank a pair more after Fleming converted a drive. Bellarmine remained within four with 23 seconds left on a putback by sophomore forward Sam DeVault, but Lipscomb wrapped up the win by following a free throw with a steal.

Lipscomb held Bellarmine to 37.3 percent shooting as the Knights struggled to convert in the paint.

"We couldn't get 3s off because we had no ability to finish at the rim," Davenport said. "Our inability to finish inside meant they never had to come off our shooters. That's why we only had six assists. And that's not just the inside guys — we have a lot of guys who go inside. You've got to finish through contact, because there's going to be contact."

Bellarmine's first-ever ASUN road games will occur Friday and Saturday at Florida Gulf Coast.

"We're not going to reinvent the wheel," Davenport said. "It's about practice and preparation."

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