LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Missing free throws may have kept the Bellarmine University men's basketball team from pulling away, but buckling down and hitting them also preserved the win for the Knights.

Throw in a commendable effort defensively and the result was a 68-60 victory for Bellarmine over North Alabama in ASUN action Tuesday night in Freedom Hall.

Senior guard Juston Betz recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds for Bellarmine (10-8, 4-0 ASUN), which remained undefeated in league play. Senior guard Dylan Penn registered a game-high 20 points on 7-for-12 shooting, while senior guard CJ Fleming chipped in 10 points and freshman forward Curt Hopf yanked down eight rebounds against UNA (8-10, 1-4).

"4-0 is a good feeling," Betz said. "In any conference, that's tough to do."

"All they wanted to do was celebrate Juston Betz," Knights Coach Scott Davenport said of the locker room after the game. "There's over 180 players in the ASUN, and he's number three in rebounding. It's just a knack for the ball. He goes after it. He plays with the heart of a champion."

After holding a 35-22 lead at halftime, Bellarmine extended its advantage to 20 with 8:36 remaining in the second half. In about a four-minute span, North Alabama sank four 3-pointers, with three coming from Daniel Ortiz.

The last cut UNA's deficit to 12 with 5:01 left, and the Lions kept coming, rallying to within four at 60-56 with 1:37 remaining. On the ensuing inbound, senior forward Ethan Claycomb fired a full-court baseball pass to Penn that appeared to graze the fingers of a UNA defender before Penn corralled it and went up for an easy lay-in.

"Our late-game execution was tremendous," Davenport said, "and we had to execute."

That exacting execution included Bellarmine's work from the free-throw line. Following a North Alabama missed shot, Betz canned a pair of free throws. After a UNA basket, Penn drained two more from the charity stripe. The Lions converted again on the ensuing possession, but Betz proceeded to bury another pair from the line.

After hitting only 10 of their first 18 attempts from the free-throw line, which helped allow UNA to stay afloat, the Knights turned back the Lions' rally by nailing their last six opportunities from the charity stripe.

"We hit them down the stretch," said Betz, who was 8-for-10 from the line. "I think that's a maturity thing. We understand what it takes to win games."

Bellarmine got off to another hot start. After missing their first shot, the Knights proceeded to hit their next eight, with five coming from beyond the arc. The last one, by Claycomb, staked the Knights to a 21-6 lead less than seven minutes into the game.

With under two minutes remaining before halftime, Claycomb drilled his third 3-pointer of the half and Penn dropped in a jumper just before time expired for a 35-22 advantage.

Bellarmine will host Jacksonville at 7 p.m. (ET) Saturday in Freedom Hall.

"They're a big-time defensive team," Davenport said.

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