LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Bellarmine hosts Jacksonville University on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Freedom Hall as the Knights close out the home portion of their January schedule ahead of three road ASUN contests next week.
 
Bellarmine (10-8) stayed undefeated in league play on Tuesday when the Knights turned back North Alabama 68-60 to improve their ASUN record to 4-0.   Jacksonville, on the other hand, suffered its first conference loss on Tuesday when Liberty rolled ton 88-49 victory to drop the Dolphins to 11-5 overall and 3-1 in conference play.
 
The Knights have enjoyed a fair share of success after opening with a grueling November schedule.  Since Dec. 1, Bellarmine is 8-2 with the last loss coming at the hands of Loyola Marymount on Dec. 21.
 
Senior Dylan Penn continues to lead the Bellarmine offense.  The preseason All-ASUN selection currently ranks third in the league in scoring at 17.2 points a game and is second in assists with a 5.2 average. 
Many others have stepped up to help fuel the Bellarmine offense recently.  On Tuesday, Juston Betz tossed in a career high 14 points while grabbing 10 rebounds to post his first career double-double.
 
Betz isn't the only Knight to establish a new career high recently.  In fact, five Bellarmine players (counting Betz) have set or equaled their career highs in the past four games.  Against Eastern Kentucky on Jan. 8, Alec Pfriem, CJ Fleming and Curt Hopf all scored career highs while Penn poured in 38 the next game against Central Arkansas to shatter his previous best effort.
 
In contrast, it's all about the defense for Jacksonville under first year coach Jordan Mincy, who was recognized on Seth Davis' "40 Under 40: Rising Stars in Men's College Basketball" in November.
 
Heading into Saturday's game, JU is leading the league and ranks third in the country in points allowed (56.6).  The Dolphins also top the ASUN in field goal percentage defense (39%) and rebounding margin (+6.9) and are top 30 in the nation in both of those categories. They also score nearly 17 points a game off turnovers.  Liberty is the Dolphins' only opponent to score more than 70 points this season, and 11 JU opponents have been held below 60 points.
 
Offensively, Jacksonville relies on a balanced scoring attack. Six different Dolphins average eight points a game or higher, and Coach Mincy has utilized nine different starting lineups through the first 16 games.  
 
Kevion Nolan not only leads the ASUN in steals, but he also is the top Dolphin scorer at 12.3 per game and adds 3.3 assists. The only other double-digit scorer for JU is graduate transfer Jordan Davis at 10 points per contest.  
As one might expect on a team that boasts a plus-6.9 rebounding margin, nearly every Dolphin is proficient on the boards. Four different player average more than four caroms a game, led by 6-8 Florida transfer Osayi Osifo at 6.5 per contest.
 
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