Top-ranked Knights down KWC - Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics

Box Score

Bellarmine provided ample evidence why it is the No. 1 team in NCAA Division II men's basketball on Saturday night.

The Knights upended No. 7 Kentucky Wesleyan College 80-68 in front of a loud and enthusiastic crowd of 4,123 at the Sportscenter.

They did the damage behind 28 points from Jeremy Kendle and 18 more from Braydon Hobbs. Each of those players nailed 4-of-7 shots from 3-point range.

Those two also paced an offensive machine which seldom took bad shots, and if the Knights missed and got the rebound, they practically never missed the second chance.

“We couldn't come down, shoot a quick shot and let them take one, get the rebound and shoot a 3,” said Anthony Young, who led KWC with 23 points and 10 rebounds.

“They take advantage of a lot of things because they pass the ball so well,” KWC coach Todd Lee said. “You can't afford to give them second-chance opportunities.”

Bellarmine made 30-of-51 from the floor for 58.8 percent and was 12-of-27 on 3-pointers for 44 percent.

Young helped lead a valiant effort by the Panthers, who fell to 16-3, 8-3 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference, and were playing their second game without Cardell McFarland, the league's leading scorer who is out for at least a month with a foot injury.

“We can overcome it, but when you lose a guy who controls the ball so much for us, it's tough,” Lee said. “We've got to figure out what's the best way to play now.”

The Panthers got 18 points from Brandon Johnson, who was effective driving the lane but also had seven turnovers in 35 minutes.

Cornbread Walker also pitched in 14 points and made 4-of-7 on 3-pointers.

The Panthers fell behind by nine early in the second half, 45-36, but they clawed back to a 47-44 deficit on a 3 by Walker, and two straight inside baskets by Young, the second resulting in a traditional 3-point play with 17:07 left.

KWC stayed within four points over the next three minutes, then grabbed a 53-52 lead on a 10-footer by Young with 14:12 left. It extended that advantage to 56-52 on a drive and free throw by Johnson.

Bellarmine (18-1, 10-1) tied it 56-all on two straight baskets by Kendle, and went ahead 59-56 on a 3 by Hobbs.

KWC tied the game one more time on a tough 3-point play by Young with 10:19 to go. The game was tied seven times and saw 18 lead changes.

The Knights then went on a run that would seal the game. Hobbs nailed a 3-pointer, and Dowe hit a 3-pointer that put Bellarmine up 65-59. KWC came away empty on its next possession, and Bellarmine got two free throws from Dowe, a 10-footer by Kendle and an inside basket by Jelani Johnson that pushed Bellarmine to a 71-59 lead.

KWC buckled down defensively and got a drive by Young, a tough basket by Johnson where he split between Bellarmine defenders, and another basket by Johnson, making it 71-65 with 4:01 left.

The Panthers could get no closer, though, and lost their second straight home game. They are two down in the loss column to Bellarmine in the GLVC East.

KWC had a tough time offensively, hitting 24-of-60 from the floor for 40 percent, and 9-of-27 on 3-pointers for 33 percent. The Panthers made 7-of-15 on 3-pointers in the first half, then cooled to 2-of-12 in the second half for 17 percent.

“We held them to 40 percent shooting and we shot 58.8, which was a tremendous job in an unbelievable environment for college basketball,” Bellarmine coach Scotty Davenport said. “It took everybody on this team to win this basketball game.”

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