The Bellarmine Knights earned a hard-fought 69-65 victory over the North Alabama Lions in an ASUN Conference matchup on Monday night. The game, which featured 12 lead changes, came down to the wire as Bellarmine finished with a 10-4 run over the final 3:22 to secure the win.
The Knights started off strong, with Alec Pfriem sinking a 3-pointer to give Bellarmine an early 3-2 lead. North Alabama responded with a 7-2 run, but the Knights fought back and took a 12-11 lead on a layup by Juston Betz. The Lions regained the lead on a 3-pointer by Jacari Lane, but Bellarmine quickly answered with a 3-pointer of their own from Landin Hacker. The two teams traded leads several times before North Alabama took a 26-24 advantage into halftime.
In the second half, the Lions extended their lead to 31-26 with a 5-2 run to start the half. However, the Knights quickly responded with a 9-2 run of their own, taking a 35-33 lead on a 3-pointer by Peter Suder. The two teams continued to battle back and forth, with the lead changing hands several times. With just over three minutes remaining, the Lions led 61-59 before Bellarmine’s Garrett Tipton scored back-to-back buckets to give the Knights a 63-61 edge with 49 seconds left.
North Alabama had a chance to tie the game on their next possession, but Suder came up with a big block on a 3-point attempt by Daniel Ortiz. Betz grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 24 seconds left. The graduate student drained both free throws to put the Knights up 65-61, but North Alabama trimmed it to just a one-point game as Ortiz was fouled driving to the basket and converted both free throws.
The Lions then fouled Hacker, who was clutch all night, finishing with a career-high 13 points. Hacker made both free throws with 12 seconds remaining to make it a two-possession game at 67-63. North Alabama got a layup from Lane just six seconds later to pull the Lions within two. The Lions then fouled Pfriem with five seconds remaining, and the senior made both of his free throws to ice the game, giving Bellarmine a 69-65 advantage. A last-second 3-pointer by Ortiz was off the mark, and the Knights held on for the win.
After the game, Bellarmine Head Coach Scott Davenport praised his team’s resiliency in a tough matchup against a strong opponent. “That team (UNA) won at Ole Miss, and they won at Jacksonville State, which is picked ahead of us,” Davenport said. “It’s all about (our players). That resiliency was something else.”
Individually, several Knights had impressive performances, with four players scoring in double figures. Tipton led all scorers with 18 points, while Betz had 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds and six assists. Pfriem added 11 points, and Hacker had a career-high 13 points, going 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and 4-for-4 from the free throw line.
Hacker’s performance was especially noteworthy, as he came through in crucial moments despite having limited playing time this season. Prior to Monday’s game, the Greenwood, Indiana native had played just 52 minutes, with his most minutes in a Division I game coming at Loyola Marymount where he logged just five. However, with Bellarmine suffering from the injury bug, Hacker was called upon and delivered in a big way.
“I might not know if I’m ever going to go in,” he said in a postgame interview with radio play-by-play man Doug Ormay. “But I know if I do go in, I’m going to give it my all and my energy is going to be top notch. We needed that ‘W’ really bad, and we’re all super happy.”
In addition to solid individual performances, the Knights also had a strong team effort. They shot 50% from the field, including 9-of-18 from long range, and turned the ball over just eight times while winning the “points off turnovers” battle 16-8.
North Alabama, which fell to 9-6 (1-1 ASUN), was led by Lane, who finished with 16 points, and former Lipscomb player KJ Johnson, who totaled 15 points.
Bellarmine, which improved to 6-9 (1-1 ASUN), will return to action on Thursday when they host ASUN newcomer Queens University of Charlotte in Freedom Hall at 6:30 p.m. The Royals will enter the game 11-4 overall and 1-1 in league play.
The Knights will look to build on their momentum from Monday’s victory and continue their strong play as they take on Queens. It will be a tough matchup, but with the resiliency and determination they showed against North Alabama, the Knights will no doubt be ready to give it their all and come out with a win. The Bellarmine Knights gutted out a tough 69-65 ASUN Conference road victory over North Alabama on Monday night in Flowers Hall.
