CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Everything seemed to be falling into place Friday night for the Bellarmine men's basketball team. To earn a berth in the Atlantic Sun Championship, the Knights needed Florida Gulf Coast to beat Jacksonville and North Alabama to beat Central Arkansas in addition to their own win over Austin Peay.
 
The first two happened. The third did not.
 
Bellarmine (8-23, 4-12 ASUN) fell to Austin Peay (17-14, 10-6 ASUN) 90-87 in a thrilling overtime battle, ending their season without a chance to play for their second ASUN title.
 
The Knights continuously weathered the storm to stay within striking distance of Austin Peay as the Governors wreaked havoc from the three point line, hitting 12-of-26 from deep.
 
A hot start by the Governors quickly put them up 14-7 as they started 5-for-5 from the field, four of which were threes.
 
The Knights then rattled off an 18-0 run going from being down 15-7 to being up 25-15. They went 5-for-6 from the field during the run, including three threes by Ben Johnson and one by Garrett Tipton.
 
Yet another run by the Govs would change the tide again. This time a 19-2 run put them up 36-29. After they missed nine shots in a row, they would hit on seven of their next 10 shots, including three threes by Dez White and one by Ja'Monta Black.
 
But the Knights would cut the deficit to three, heading into the break down 38-35.
 
The second half was a back-and-forth struggle that saw nine lead changes. The visiting Knights took a two-point lead at 55-53 after a three-point play by Peter Suder with 12:16 left. But Black answered with a three to give the lead right back to APSU.
 
That lead would expand to as high as seven. The lead was six at 77-71 with 3:27 left after a layup by White.
 
That lead would evaporate as APSU missed their final three field goal attempts during regulation. The Knights seized the opportunity, taking a 78-77 lead on three buckets, one by Johnson and two by Suder, and a free throw by Bash Wieland.
 
In their final possession of the second half, however, the Govs' Sai Witt was able to draw a foul from Langdon Hatton with two seconds to play. Witt missed the first free throw, but made the second to tie the game and send it to overtime.
 
Bellarmine jumped out to a four-point lead on a pair of jumpers by Johnson. The Govs, however, would get to the free throw line 10 times in the extra period, converting on all 10 attempts. They made just 1-of-5 field goal attempts in overtime, but were able to build a three-point lead with eight seconds left.
 
An off-balance three by Tipton missed on the Knights final possession, sealing the win for the Govs.
 
Johnson finished Friday night with a career-high 34 points on 13-of-25 shooting, 6-of-11 from three.
 
In his final game as a Knight, Tipton scored 10 points on 3-of-10 shooting, 2-of-7 from three. He finishes his career with 930 points. Wieland, who has an option to return for a sixth season, scored 15 on 5-of-12 shooting.
 
Suder scored 15 points and Hatton added 11.
 
Witt finished with a game-high 25 points for the Govs. White scored 23, hitting 6-of-9 threes.
 
Bellarmine finishes their fourth and final season transitioning into Division I, one marred by injuries on the court and losses of family members off the court, at 8-23. They now look forward to the 2024-25 campaign, their first season being eligible for the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.
 
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