LOUISVILLE, Ky. – The previous two times the Bellarmine men's basketball team matched up with Austin Peay, overtime was needed and, unfortunately for Bellarmine, the Governors came out on top. Tuesday night could not have been more different.
 
Bellarmine came out red hot in the first half and blasted Austin Peay 94-68 inside a raucous Knights Hall.
 
The Knights exploded for a 34-8 run in the first half, a run that included 17 straight points, to make their statement early. The Knights would go on to hit 21 of 30 field goal attempts in the first (.700), including 7 of 11 from three (.636) and lead by as many as 32 at 48-16 with 1:26 left. Bellarmine carried a 50-19 lead into the break, their best half of the season against a Division I opponent by both points scored and points allowed. Landin Hacker led the team with 17 points in the first, hitting 4 of 5 threes.
 
If there was any hope for the Governors to turn the tide in their favor early in the second half, it did not happen APSU starting the second stanza on a 7-2 run before immediately allowing the Knights to respond with a 7-2 run. The Govs would outscore the Knights 40-35 the rest of the way, but it would not nearly be enough as Bellarmine cruised to a 94-68 victory.
 
The game set several notable marks for Bellarmine. The 26-point win is their largest over a Division I opponent, passing their 25-point win at Stetson (72-47) on January 27, 2022. Their 33-point lead at 63-30 with 13:16 left in the game was their largest lead against a Division I opponent this season; Their previous high was just a 19-point lead in a game against Southern Indiana on November 13. Bellarmine had not scored 50 points in a half against a Division I opponent since their 85-67 win at Bowling Green on November 17, 2023. They had also not held any opponent under 20 points in a half since keeping Jacksonville to 19 points in the first half during a 69-63 win on January 27, 2024.
 
Jack Karasinski led the Knights with 23 points on 8-of-10 shooting, hitting his only three-point attempt. Hacker finished with 19, as did Myles Watkins to set a new career high. Hacker snagged six rebounds to pass his previous career high of four.
 
The Knights assisted on 19 of 36 field goals with Karasinski, Hacker and Billy Smith each recording four.
 
APSU, who carried a .527 shooting percentage over their last three games into Knights Hall, shot just .339 on the night, though they hit 11 of 32 threes.
 
Freshman Tate McCubbin led all scorers with 31 points for the Govs, hitting 6 of 15 threes. Big man Sai Witt, who gave the Knights fits in their last meeting in Clarksville, was held to just 3-of-7 shooting and 11 points as Bellarmine dominated the battle in the paint 50-18.
 
The Knights shot .621 overall and hit 10 of 19 three-pointers (.526) while also having a strong night in transition, outscoring the Govs 22-7 on fast breaks.
 
Kenyon Goodin, who went 9 for 9 combined from three the previous two games, and Ben Johnson were unavailable for the Knights. Goodin had been one of three Knights to appear in every game this season before Tuesday night.
 
Bellarmine wraps up the home portion of their schedule with a game against in-state rival Eastern Kentucky Thursday at 6:30 p.m. ET inside Knights Hall. Live coverage will be carried on ESPN+ and ESPN 680/105.7
 
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