MEMPHIS-No. 5/4 Bellarmine used an 11-1 run midway through the second half to break open a tie game on their way to a 74-69 win over the No. 18/9 Christian Brothers University Bucs Tuesday night at Canale Arena.
The early part of the game was back-and-forth, with seven lead changes in the game's first 22 minutes. After a
Sidy Sall (Dakar, Senegal/Seeds Academy) tip-in gave the Bucs (2-1) a 33-32 lead with 18:37 remaining, the Knights (4-0) regained the lead with a 14-4 run capped by a Josh Derksen layup that gave them a 46-37 lead with 15 minutes remaining.
Back-to-back
Charlie Oswald (Memphis, Tenn./Christian Brothers HS) three-pointers sparked a 14-5 run as the Bucs answered.
Sidy Sall (Dakar, Senegal/Seeds Academy) drove baseline for a dunk that brought the Bucs within three, and
Trey Casey (Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle HS) buried a deep three-pointer to tie the game at 51 with 10:59 remaining.
The Knights answered with back-to-back Jake Thelen buckets, sparking the decisive 11-1 run. Rusty Troutman capped the burst with a three-pointer that gave the Knights a 62-52 lead with 7:44 remaining, and the Bucs could never come closer than five points again.
Casey scored a game-high 29 points to lead the Bucs, shooting 11-of-17 overall including 5-of-8 from three-point range. He added game-highs of four steals and two blocks as well. Oswald scored 12, and Sall scored 11 with six rebounds and four assists.
Ryan Fleming (Cincinnati, Ohio/La Salle HS) dished out seven assists for the Bucs.
Thelen paced the Knights with 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Troutman added 15. Josh Derksen scored 13, with George Suggs tacking on 11.
The Knights shot 51.9 percent (28-of-54) for the game to the Bucs' 43.1 percent (25-of-58). Bellarmine shot 47.1 percent (8-of-17) from three-point range, while the Bucs shot 40.9 percent (11-of-27). The Knights held a 37-27 edge on the glass, including an 11-10 lead in offensive rebounds, but the Bucs forced 13 turnovers while committing 10.
The Bucs hit the road next week as they open GSC play. They visit Lee Thursday night at 7 p.m. and Shorter Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. Their next home game is set for Thursday night, Dec. 11, as they host No. 23/RV Delta State.
