Dynamic Duel: Karasinski and Smith’s 47 Can’t Save Knights from North Florida Upset

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – It was an offensive burst Saturday evening at Knights Hall, as the Bellarmine men’s basketball squad and North Florida collectively scored 181 points, but it was the hosting Knights who suffered a 98-83 defeat.
 
Jack Karasinski recorded a career-best 27 points, the third-most by a Knight this season, on 11-of-16 shooting, while Billy Smith contributed 20 on 9-of-18 shooting for his second 20-point performance in the last three games. Ben Johnson also added 13 points, his highest scoring output in over a month.
 
North Florida, however, remained consistent with their approach, launching a barrage of three-pointers leading to their victory. Their 20 completed threes were the highest recorded against Bellarmine this season, surpassing VCU’s five made in the opener on November 4. Their 54.1 percent proficiency from beyond the arc was also the top statistic by any Bellarmine opponent this season.
 
Bellarmine kicked off strong, surging to an early 10-5 advantage with five baskets by four different players, including a dunk in transition by Karasinski. The Knights started the game 6-for-8, making only two missed three-pointers, to lead 12-7.
 
However, from that juncture, UNF would sink nine of their following 17 three-point attempts to establish a 46-37 halftime edge. Bellarmine was able to stay competitive by shooting 46.9 percent from the field in the first half, even though UNF connected on 56.7 percent and made 10-of-21 threes.
 
Early in the second half, the Knights managed to close the gap to five points at 53-48, following a basket by Kenyon Goodin with 16:44 remaining, but from there, the Ospreys regained significant momentum. UNF made 16-of-25 shots from the field thereafter, including 9-of-15 from beyond the arc, to extend their lead and secured the victory by 15 points.
 
Although Bellarmine shot well throughout the game, achieving 54.1 percent (their best performance against a Division I opponent this season), North Florida converted 62.1 percent of their shots, the second-highest accuracy by a Knights adversary this season, only behind Wyoming’s 65.6 percent. Bellarmine’s production from beyond the three-point line, with just five makes, was insufficient to match North Florida’s 20 conversions.
 
Seven distinct Ospreys hit multiple three-pointers. Jasai Miles led the team with 20 points, making 8-of-13 field goals and 3-of-6 threes. Liam Murphy scored 18 points, successfully hitting 6-of-9 attempts, all from three-point range. Jaylen Smith contributed 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting, including 2-of-4 from deep.
 
Bellarmine will compete again next Thursday, January 16, hosting Lipscomb. The tip-off is set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
 
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