The host Evansville Purple Aces got hot at the right moment as they unleashed a 12-0 run late in the second half to defeat the Bellarmine Knights by the final count of 73-61 at the Ford Center in a nonconference game on Wednesday night.
In a game that finished on a such a sour note for the Knights, it started with much promise as Bellarmine drained nine of 16 first half three-pointers to take a 39-30 lead into the locker room.
However, the second half was all Purple Aces as the Knights hit just five of 21 field goals in the final 20 minutes. The hosts, who were outshot in the first half 58 to 37 percent, ended the night outshooting BU 43.6 to 42.2 percent.
Exacerbating the Knights’ second half shooting woes were turnovers, with Bellarmine committing 17 on the night. The high turnover rate translated to 10 more Evansville field goal attempts despite a 34-33 rebounding advantage for BU.
“I’m disappointed in every facet of this basketball program,” said Bellarmine Coach Scott Davenport. “We got outscored the last segment (of our last game) against Miami 16-6, and tonight, we got outscored 21 in the second half. We’ve had 35 turnovers in two games, and neither team pressed.”
Davenport added that tonight his team’s failure to meet key goals spelled the Knights’ demise. “Priority number one was to win the paint; we got outscored 28-12. We had to do a great job in transition defense, and fast break points were 18-13,” he said. “Everything we set out to accomplish we didn’t. Thus, we’re 5-8 and we got beat 73-61.”
Individually, Bellarmine saw four players hit double figures in scoring, led by Ben Johnson’s 21, which was highlighted by a 5-for-8 performance from three-point land and converting all six free throws. Garrett Tipton added 15 points while leading the Knights with seven rebounds. Freshman Peter Suder turned a career-high eight assists.
For Evansville (4-9), Kenny Strawbridge was the scoring leader, pouring in 22 points-all in the second half. The Purple Aces got a double-double from Yacine Toumi, who went for 15 points and 11 rebounds.
The Knights now get a few days off to celebrate Christmas, but as soon as the holiday is over, it’ll be back to the hard work of conference play. Bellarmine gets to start its ASUN Conference slate at home, but the Knights’ first league game will be against Liberty, the preseason favorite.
Davenport is eager to get back to work. “We need to practice,” he said. “I’m not worried about Liberty; I’m worried about Bellarmine. We’ve got to learn to guard the ball; we’ve got to learn to attack.
The Bellarmine-Liberty conference opener will Dec. 29 at 6:30 p.m. in Freedom Hall.
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