LOUISVILLE, KY -- Bellarmine Knights Men's Basketball went toe-to-toe offensively with the Northern Kentucky Norse, but could not overcome a double digit deficit brought on by a bevy of turnovers in an 80-76 home loss to their in-state opponent and former Division II rival.  With the result, the Knights drop to 4-6 overall on the season.

Both teams struggled to find offense early on until Michael Wilson, Jr. got the Knights on the board with a drive to the basket.  After NKU answered with a three, Bellarmine responded with a 10-2 run that was capped by three made free throws from Wilson.  NKU answered with a quick 8-0 run to take a 13-12 lead, and Bellarmine found an answer of their own as a Jack Karasinski layup was followed by a coast-to-coast finish through contact by Kenyon Goodin made it 16-13.  The two teams continued to trade baskets, before live ball turnovers began to creep up on the Knights, leading to another 10-2 Norse run to put Bellarmine in a 33-28 hole.  A Sam Donald steal that led to a Myles Watkins layup cut the lead to five, but NKU answered with a 9-0 run to make it 42-30.  A Watkins layup followed by three-pointers from Goodin and Donald brought Bellarmine back to within four as the first half winded down, but an NKU basket made it 44-38 at halftime.

Turnovers continued to plague the Knights in the second half, allowing NKU to build up a 63-45 lead with 13:30 remaining.  Bellarmine was able to tighten up a bit on defense and slowly chip away, going on a 10-2 run over the ensuing four minutes.  Back-to-back Norse buckets widened the gap back to 14, but a 9-0 Bellarmine run made it 69-64 with just under five minutes remaining.  NKU responded with a converted and-one and back-to-back buckets to push the lead back to a dozen.  Karasinski scored five straight and Goodin knocked down two free throws to bring Bellarmine back to within 76-71, and a missed front end by NKU opened the door for the Knights, but they could not get any closer before the Norse effectively put the game away at the foul line.

Karasinski led the Knights with 21 points on 7-of-13 shooting for his fifth 20-point effort of the season, to go along with a season high-tying eight rebounds.  Goodin scored 15 points and had five rebounds while Wilson scored 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting.  Donald had nine points and led the Knights with four assists.  Brian Waddell contributed with eight points on 4-of-8 shooting and seven rebounds.

As a team, Bellarmine shot 27-of-54 from the field, their eighth consecutive game shooting 50% or better from the field.

Up next, the Knights will host the Mocs of UT-Chattanooga on Wednesday night at 7 PM.

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