FLORENCE, Ala. – The Bellarmine men's basketball team embarks on their first Atlantic Sun road trip of the season this week. The Knights head down I-65 to face North Alabama on Thursday night at 8:45 p.m. ET before heading west for a tilt with Central Arkansas at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

ESPN+ will carry live video coverage of both games. The radio broadcasts will be available on ESPN 680/105.7 and the iHeart app.

Bellarmine (4-13, 0-2 ASUN) will look to bounce back from a tough start to ASUN play after suffering defeats at the hands of Austin Peay and Lipscomb last week at Freedom Hall.

Sophomore guard and leading scorer Ben Johnson (12.7 PPG) returned to form for BU after rejoining the starting lineup. He scored a team-high 16 points against Lipscomb on 6-of-11 shooting, 4-of-6 from three on Saturday. He averaged just 4.7 points in three games off the bench after returning from a hip injury for the Evansville game, but has scored 60 points in three games since.

Thursday's game will be the first of two regular season contests with North Alabama (6-9, 0-1 ASUN). The teams split two meetings last season. BU defeated UNA at Flowers Hall on Jan. 2, 2023, 69-65. Garrett Tipton led all scorers with 18 points and Landon Hacker scored a career-high 13, including a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc. UNA bounced back to take a 70-57 decision at the KFC Yum! Center on Feb. 16, though Peter Suder led all scorers with 17.

The Knights are 5-1 all-time against the Lions, all six games coming after the programs became ASUN conference mates in the 2020-21 season.

The Knights' two opponents on their trip played each other in their respective ASUN openers. Central Arkansas, despite entering conference play at 5-11 and No. 346 in the NET rankings, upset North Alabama on their home floor 84-81. The Bears led the whole way, including a 23-point lead at 61-38 with 15:28 left to play. The Lions fought back and closed the game on a 43-23 run before falling by the final margin of three. UNA junior forward Dallas Howell missed a fadeaway corner three-pointer in the final seconds to seal the win for UCA.

North Alabama's dynamic guard duo, sophomore Jacari Lane (13.9 PPG, 4.2 APG) and senior KJ Johnson (13.3 PPG, 2.1 APG), will key the offensive end for the Lions. They, along with Howell, accounted for 52 of UNA's 81 points against UCA. Bellarmine will also need to keep an eye on Tim Smith Jr. around the arc. The senior forward is 20-for-50 (40.0 percent) from three on the season. Another senior forward, Damian Forrest, is third in the ASUN averaging 8.1 rebounds.

"North Alabama has the one quality that all great teams in this day of age in college basketball have: they have great players with quality experience," said Bellarmine head coach Scott Davenport. "They have a plan from beginning to end and they play every possession."

Bellarmine is 3-0 all-time against Saturday's opponent, Central Arkansas. All three games have come since UCA joined the ASUN from the Southland Conference for the 2021-22 season. The teams matched up once last season with BU eking out a 68-67 win at Freedom Hall on Feb. 19 after Curt Hopf's layup with 4.7 seconds left. Suder led the Knights with both his 16 points and eight rebounds. Langdon Hatton added 12 points.

The Bears entered Saturday last in the ASUN shooting 40.8 percent as a team and then proceeded to shoot 49.1 percent in the upset over North Alabama. Tucker Anderson led all scorers with 24 points and hit 5-of-7 threes. The freshman forward is fourth in the league shooting 39.3 percent from distance. Sophomore forward Ubongabasi "Glory" Etim and senior guard Masai Olowokere shared the team lead with seven rebounds. Etim is second in the ASUN averaging 8.6 RPG and third with 1.4 BPG.

"Central Arkansas possesses great balance attacking inside and outside, full court and half court," said Davenport. "I admire the building of their roster with quality players who are consistently and constantly improving."

Scottie Pippen's alma mater will host Eastern Kentucky on Thursday prior to Bellarmine's visit on Saturday.

The Knights will visit Eastern Kentucky on Jan. 20 to conclude the three-game road swing.

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