RICHMOND, Ky. – Still looking for their first Atlantic Sun conference win of the season, the Bellarmine men's basketball team found themselves in a back-and-forth contest with in-state rival Eastern Kentucky Saturday night. After a game featuring nine ties and 13 lead changes, it was the homestanding Colonels, however, who found themselves on top after 40 minutes at Baptist Health Arena.
 
Junior forward Curt Hopf hit just his sixth three of the year to give the Knights a 55-53 lead with 8:05 remaining in the game. EKU, however, then rattled off a 7-0 run to give them a five-point lead of which Bellarmine would spend the rest of the evening trying to dig themselves out.
 
A Kenyon Goodin a three-point play with 19.5 seconds left would bring Bellarmine within two at 69-67. After a 1-for-2 trip to the line by EKU senior forward Montavious Myrick, the Knights pulled to within one at 70-69 on a driving layup by Billy Smith as the Colonels concentrated their defensive efforts on the three-point line.
 
EKU freshman guard George Kimble III would sink two more free throws with four seconds left for a three-point Colonels lead.
 
On the final possession of the game, the Knights threw the ball inside the three-point line with the intent to pass it right back out for a three, but the play was well defended by A.W. Hamilton's Colonels. Jack Karasinski was forced to fire a two-point jumper with the hope of making it and getting fouled, but neither happened as the clock expired for the EKU win.
 
Smith led the Knights with 20 points, the third time in his last four games that he has reached that plateau. He went 8-for-11 from the field and 3-for-4 from three after missing Thursday's game against Lipscomb with an injury. The Knights were still without Ben Johnson (11.9 PPG) for a second straight game.
 
Karasinski scored 17 points, reaching double digits for the 13^th time in 14 games as a Knight. His three three-pointers matched a career high now done four times this season.
 
Goodin added 11 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists in his second straight game in a starting role.
 
The Knights shot the ball well again, going 23-for-47 (48.9 percent) and hitting 9-of-15 threes for a season-best 60.0 percent. They also outrebounded the Colonels 31-24, but committed 16 turnovers to EKU's nine and allowed 12 EKU steals.
 
Kimble tallied a game-high 21 points, giving him an ASUN-leading nine 20-point efforts. Turner Buttry went 5-for-8 from beyond the arc and finished with 15 points. Myrick (12 points) and Devontae Blanton (10 points) also reached double figures.
 
Bellarmine returns to action next Thursday at Knights Hall when they host Florida Gulf Coast at 6:30 p.m. ET.
 
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