LAS VEGAS--For the third time this season the Bellarmine Knights battled a top-ranked opponent, falling to the No. 2 UCLA Bruins 75-62 in the Good Sam Empire Classic at T-Mobile Arena.
 
With Purdue's rise to the AP No. 3 position in today's poll, tonight's game marked the first time in history a team has played the Nos. 1,2 and 3 teams in the month of November.  Bellarmine opened with the Boilermakers on Nov. 9 and played No. 1 Gonzaga this past Friday.
 
Against the second-ranked Bruins tonight, the Knights stayed even over the first five minutes, but UCLA put together a 23-4 run to take a 29-10 lead, and that turned out to the pivotal segment of the game.
 
Bellarmine refused to go away quietly, however, and scored nine straight.  UCLA halted the run with a second-chance 3-pointer, and the Bruins went on to take a 36-25 lead into the locker room. For the half, UCLA enjoyed a 12-2 advantage in second chance points and were six of 15 from beyond the arc while the Knights were just 1-of-10 from deep.
 
The second period opened up with a quick run by UCLA fueled by Bellarmine turnovers.  Knights Head Coach Scott Davenport called a quick time out and rallied his troops. The maneuver paid dividends as Bellarmine eventually re-grouped.  After the Bruins had pulled out to a 45-25 led, the Knights picked up the defensive intensity and trimmed it to 58-45 at the 8:21 mark.  From there, it stayed a competitive game with Bellarmine closing to 66-56 with less than a minute remaining.
 
After the game, Davenport was pleased with his team's effort.  "We played like Bellarmine," he said, "from an effort standpoint, from an execution standpoint, and from a belief standpoint—in each other and in what we do every day in practice."
 
The opposing coach may very well agree with Davenport's assessment.  In his postgame comments, UCLA Coach Mick Cronin said, "To me this is a loss.  The things I care about—hustle, attitude, effort, execution—things that will get you wins when is really counts, Bellarmine won in every category."
 
UCLA's Peyton Wilson and Bellarmine's Dylan Penn tied for game-high scoring honors with 19 with Penn also pacing the Knights in rebounding (seven) and assists (six).
 
Bellarmine also got strong performances from CJ Fleming, who netted 12 points and ran down six rebounds, and freshman Curt Hopf had his best scoring game as Knight with 10 points.
 
The Knights have a short rest before they come back and play Central Michigan on day two of the Empire Classic.  Tip is set for 4 p.m. PT (7 p.m. ET)
 
After the Knights conclude play in Las Vegas, they'll get a brief breatk to celebrate Thanksgiving before hosting their first home game of the year on Sunday, Nov. 28 when the Franklin Grizzlies visit Freedom Hall at 3 p.m.
 
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