The Bellarmine men’s basketball team will embark on a two-game road trip to Tennessee this week as they take on Austin Peay and Lipscomb in ASUN Conference play. The Knights, fresh off an impressive 61-41 win over Florida Gulf Coast University, will first face off against Austin Peay on Thursday night in Clarksville. This matchup will rekindle an old rivalry as the two teams used to meet regularly in the 1960s and 1970s. Austin Peay, who were long-time members of the Ohio Valley Conference, will now face off against the Knights in their first season as newcomers to the ASUN.
The Governors are led by head coach Nate James, a former Duke Blue Devil and long-time assistant under Mike Krzyzewski. James is getting production out of a pair of second-year players from Putnam Science Academy in Connecticut. Sean Durugordon, a 6-5 redshirt sophomore, is pacing the offense with a 13.2 points per game average while hauling in 6.2 rebounds per game. Elijah Hutchins-Everett, a 6-11 sophomore center, matches Durugordon’s rebounding effort while adding 12.7 points per game.
On Saturday, the Knights will stay in northern Tennessee to take on the Lipscomb Bisons in Nashville. Bellarmine and the Bisons have met five times in the D1 era, with the Knights holding a 3-2 edge, including both games played at Lipscomb’s Allen Arena. The Bisons are led by 6-7 forward Jacob Ognacevic, who is averaging 15.9 points per game and 3.8 rebounds per game. Third-year guard Will Pruitt is averaging 10.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, and Trae Benham is the leading Lipscomb 3-point shooter with 38 made so far this season.
For Bellarmine, redshirt senior Garret Tipton continues to lead the team in scoring with an average of 12.5 points per game. Graduate student Juston Betz remains the team leader in assists (3.5 apg) and rebounds (4.9 rpg). He had a strong game against FGCU, flirting with a triple-double by scoring 11 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and coming up with seven steals.
The Knights will look to continue their winning ways on this road trip as they take on these ASUN opponents. It will be an exciting matchup as these teams face off for the first time in the D1 era and rekindle old rivalries.
