LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport says college basketball is about moments.  It's hard to imagine any better moments for his players than the Knights' last two official outings.
 
On March 8, 2022 Bellarmine closed its season with a "win for the ages" – an ASUN Conference championship victory complete with the crowd rushing the court in a sea of confetti as the Knights won the league in just their second year as a Division I program.  It was truly a moment the Bellarmine players will cherish forever.
 
On Wednesday night, the 2022-23 version of the Knights wasted no time in delivering another "win for ages" by holding off a late Louisville comeback to knock off their crosstown rival 67-66 on the Cardinals' home floor at the KFC Yum! Center.  It marked the first time Bellarmine had defeated UofL in 13 attempts. Not only was the victory the first over the Cardinals, the win marked the first time Bellarmine has defeated a team from a "Power 5" conference.
 
In the first official meeting between the schools since 2006, the Cardinals jumped out to a 13-5 advantage over the game's first 3:47.  However, the Knights adjusted to the speed of the game and found their rhythm on both ends of the floor.  Bellarmine proceeded to unleash a 27-5 run on the Cards, including scoring 13 unanswered at one point, to take control of the game with a 32-18 lead at the 6:51 mark of the first half.
 
"We were doing what we were taught," Davenport said of the run.  "Not getting 'a' shot, getting the best shot...confidence comes from one place only, and that's preparation, and we thrive on that," he said.
 
The Knights went on to post a 41-30 halftime edge after shooting 59.1 percent from the field, including five of nine from deep.
 
The second half saw a bit of reversal of fortunes.  Louisville improved its shooting from 38.5 to 46.2 percent while the Knights cooled to 38.1 percent shooting after halftime. The Cards closed the gap to just four on several occasions, but Bellarmine managed to answer every Louisville run and established a 67-55 lead with 4:41 remaining. However, the Knights then went ice cold as Louisville crept to within one on a three pointer by Mike James with 1:02 remaining.
 
Neither team took advantage of several late-game opportunities, and the game was sealed for the Knights when Bellarmine's Juston Betz rebounded a Roosevelt Wheeler miss and heaved the ball to the opposite end of the floor, where it rolled out of bounds with just .9 seconds remaining, and Louisville couldn't get off a desperation shot.
 
Bellarmine's Garrett Tipton led all scorers as he set a new career high with 21 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Bash Wieland added 13 for the Knights, doing most of his damage from the charity stripe where he was 11-of-12. Betz, who was the ASUN's third-leading rebounder last season, grabbed six off the glass to lead the Knights.
 
Louisville got 17 points from Jae'Lyn Withers with James adding 16.  The Cards' Brandon Huntley-Hatfield hauled in a game-high 10 rebounds as UofL held a 32-26 advantage on the boards.
 
The game marked the debut for both teams in 2022-23 and was the first career game as a head coach for Louisville's Kenny Payne.  In contrast, the Bellarmine "W" gave Davenport his 399th career win.
 
Bellarmine has little time to celebrate the victory as the Knights return to action on Saturday at 8 p.m. when they hit the road to take on in-state rival Morehead State.

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