Bellarmine basketball fell just short in a back-and-forth Atlantic Sun debut against Lipscomb. Some key take aways for the Knights.
The Bellarmine basketball ASun debut was an instant classic. In a game that featured 9 ties and 13 lead changes it was bound to come down to the final minutes. Late game errors doomed the Knights and Lipscomb was able to escape with a 77-72 victory.
The Knights started the game strong with Ethan Claycomb scoring 8 straight points early on to put them up 12-3. Lipscomb battled back and both teams kept it close for the majority of the half with the Bison entering the half with a 35-34 advantage.
The 2nd half was just about as close as you could get with no team leading by more than 4 until the final seconds. Both teams went back and forth matching shot for shot like a heavyweight boxing match going punch for punch. With the score tied at 70, Dylan Penn was fouled and hit a jumper to put the Knights up 2 with 1:28 left bringing the crowd to its feet.
However a missed free throw allowed the Bison to go down the court and KJ Johnson shot a three to give them the lead but missed it. However, Ahsan Asadullah was right there to get the offensive rebound and put up a layup to tie the game.
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On the ensuing Knights possession, Penn drove the lane but missed a layup that would have put the Knights up 2. A costly foul by Pedro Bradshaw put Johnson at the line and he sank both. Bellarmine looked to get a good look but an unfortunate trip on a pass caused Lipscomb to get a steal and they were able to convert their free throws down the stretch to escape with a win.
Takeaways
Fouls and free throws ultimately proved to hurt Bellarmine basketball. As a team, the Knights committed 16 fouls which doesn’t seem like a lot but they came at the worst possible time. On 3 separate occasions, the Knights attempted to close out and fouled a shooter on a three point attempt. As a team, the Bison were 17-22 from the line including going 5-6 in the final minute after the game was tied at 72.
Another area that proved to be the difference in the game were three point shooting. The Bison connected on over 50% of their attempts (12-23) while the Knights only connected on 37.%% (9-24). Lipscomb’s Johnson and Greg Jones each made 4 threes and Romeo Ferguson made three. On the flip side, only Sam Devault (3) and CJ Fleming (2) hit multiple threes. Ethan Claycomb struggled to get anything going as he shot 1-6 from behind the arc.
One positive for the Knights was rebounding. Bellarmine outrebounded Lipscomb 33-26 including 11-3 on the offensive glass. For a team that couldn’t seem to grab a board against Duke in the season opener, they have come a long way. Bradshaw once again led the team with 9 rebounds (4 offensive, 5 defensive). Nick Thelen, Claycomb and Sam DeVault all finished with 5 rebounds.
Player of the Game
KJ Johnson had another great performance for Lipscomb. Despite missing the first 6 games of the season, he has been arguably their best player since coming back and is their leading scorer. At halftime he only had 2 points but exploded for 18 in the 2nd including the free throws that put them up for good with under a minute to go. He shot 7-11 from the field and a lights out 4-6 from behind the arc. Johnson also added 2 rebounds and 3 assist.
Next Opponent
Bellarmine basketball (3-4, 0-1 ASUN) returns to Freedom Hall at 5 for a rematch against Lipscomb (7-6, 2-1) in a game that could just as easily be as exciting as this one. The game will be televised on ESPN+ and you can listen on 93.9 The Ville. Fans can also purchase tickets on Ticketmaster.
