The Bellarmine basketball program welcomed in Division III Transylvania to begin 2020 and got a much-needed win 90-40. The win was their first win at Freedom Hall in the Division I level.
The Knights got off to a hot start and scored the first 8 points of the game. Almost everything went right for Bellarmine as they played their best game of the season so far. Pedro Bradshaw got the scoring going early and led the Knights with 13 points in the half. 11 players checked in and they each helped contribute on the scoreboard to propel the Knights to a 49-20 halftime lead.
The 2nd half was more of the same for Bellarmine as they continued to dominate. After the Pioneers scored first the Knights proceeded to score the next 7 points. The Knights closed the game on a 25-1 run throughout the final 11:48 of the game. Because of the big lead that they had during the half, they were able to empty the bench and get a lot of players in throughout the game.
Takeaways for Bellarmine basketball
Rebounding had been the biggest problem for the Knights coming in but you wouldn’t know it if this was the first time you watched them play. They were able to crash the glass and outrebounded the Pioneers 45-15. Senior Ethan Claycomb had a team-high 9 rebounds to lead the Knights. As a team, they gathered 12 offensive boards that led to 14 second-chance points.
Points in the paint seems to have been an emphasis of Coach Davenport this season as the Knights once again dominated the paint scoring 52 of their season high 90 points there. On the other end, they only allowed 6 points in the paint as their defense continues to not give up easy buckets.
As stated before, the big lead allowed BU to show their depth as they played 14 players. Every player that saw action got at least 5 minutes and nobody played more than 23 minutes. Four Knights saw their first action of the season including Baylor Younker who missed the start of the year with an injury.
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Player of the game
Bradshaw had the best game of his season as he scored early and often for the Knights. Despite only playing 18 minutes, he led the Knights in scoring with 20 (13 in the first half) on 8/9 shooting. He continued to crash the glass with 8 rebounds and got at it on defense by getting 3 steals.
What’s next for Bellarmine
The Knights (2-3) have a quick turnaround as they host Mount St. Joseph just one day after this game at 7 pm. This is similar to how the rest of their schedule will be when they begin conference play next weekend. Last season the Knights hosted the Lions and won 95-52.
