LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The Bellarmine University men's basketball team was accustomed to this position in Division II's Great Lakes Valley Conference standings.

Few, if any, would have predicted the Knights would occupy this perch in D1's ASUN Conference just past the midway point of the conference slate.

On Friday in Freedom Hall, Bellarmine moved into sole possession of first place in the ASUN after building a commanding lead at halftime and turning back a last-gasp Jacksonville run in a 71-56 triumph.

Bellarmine (10-5, 7-2 ASUN) entered Friday tied with North Alabama and Liberty for the top spot in the ASUN. The Lions were defeated by Florida Gulf Coast, while the Flames are in an off-week from conference play, leaving the Knights alone in first after their win over the Dolphins (9-10, 3-6).

Coach Scott Davenport did not want to dwell on the standings.

"It doesn't change one thing," he said. "What are they going to do, give you a trophy for leading the league on Feb. 5?"

Davenport preferred to focus on his squad's seven-game winning streak, and the fact that it turned in another commendable performance. Junior guard Pedro Bradshaw led the way after piling up a game- and career-high 24 points along with game bests of 10 rebounds and five assists. He was 10-for-16 from the field. Junior guard Dylan Penn tallied 14 points, six rebounds and four assists.

Bellarmine shot 49.2 percent, held a 42-24 advantage in points in the paint and a 23-9 edge in points off turnovers, forcing 18. The Knights registered 16 assists, 11 offensive rebounds and finished with a 32-30 advantage on the boards. Jacksonville's 56 points marked the fewest Bellarmine has allowed thus far in ASUN play.

"I love it. I'm busting at the seams with pride. I'm not going to deny that," Davenport said of the winning streak, before adding, "but they know the most important thing is the next four minutes tomorrow."

The first two minutes Friday were shaky. The Knights had a shot blocked and turned the ball over on their first two possessions, and Jacksonville hit a 3-pointer and muscled in for a layup for a quick 5-0 lead that resulted in Davenport calling a timeout.

"It was four possessions of not doing one thing we practiced," Davenport said. "To their credit, like they've done all year, they responded."

That response was a 14-0 run capped by senior forward Ethan Claycomb following his assist to sophomore guard Alec Pfriem with a basket. With less than five minutes left in the first half, Penn provided Bellarmine its first double-digit lead at 32-22 off a drive, and 3-pointers by Claycomb and Pfriem propelled the Knights into halftime with a 38-22 lead.

Midway through the second half, Bellarmine boosted its advantage to 22 following a 10-0 run. Jacksonville did rally, cutting its deficit to 11 with around four minutes left, but Penn spotted Bradshaw for a lay-in off an offensive rebound and then closed out the scoring with a pair of buckets.

"We did not do a great job defensively in the second half," Davenport said, "but I thought our execution down the stretch when it got to 11 was really good on both ends."

Bellarmine will host Jacksonville again at 5 p.m. (ET) Saturday.

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