Shorthanded Knights Suffer Defeat Against Lipscomb in Thrilling Showdown at Knights Hall

LOUISVILLE, Ky. – An undermanned Bellarmine men’s basketball squad competed with the ASUN preseason favorite for a solid half on Thursday night at Knights Hall, but ultimately succumbed to Lipscomb 87-53.
 
The Knights were missing Billy Smith (13.3 PPG) and Ben Johnson (11.9 PPG) due to injuries. Both had participated in all 17 of Bellarmine’s contests prior to Thursday. Smith was dressed for the game but did not play.
 
Jack Karasinski topped the Knights with 14 points, marking his 11^th double-digit performance in 12 games as a Knight. Myles Watkins contributed a career-best 12 points, Kenyon Goodin recorded a career-high four steals, and AJ Lux collected a career-high seven rebounds during extended playtime.
 
Karasinski netted the Knights’ opening 13 points merely 4:15 into the competition. The junior forward began 4-for-4 from the field, 3-for-3 from beyond the arc, and made two free throws, although he managed only one point for the remainder of the contest.
 
The Knights stayed competitive enough to keep the Bisons within reach at halftime. A long three-pointer by Landin Hacker just before the buzzer allowed the Knights to keep the deficit to four at 36-32 as they headed to the locker room. Lipscomb shot 45.2 percent in the first half compared to Bellarmine’s 37.9 percent.
 
However, Lipscomb surged out of the locker room in the second half, tallying the first 25 points of the period to establish a 29-point lead at 61-32. The Bisons connected on 10 of their initial 17 shots in the second half, while the Knights missed their first 13 attempts and never mounted a serious threat.
 
Will Pruitt netted 24 points for the Bisons after scoring 27 against the Knights in their prior meeting. The senior guard shot 9-for-12 from the field and 4-for-7 from three-point range. Senior forward Jacob Ognacevic achieved his fourth double-double of the season, and second in a row, with 17 points and an impressive 16 rebounds, the highest total by an individual against Bellarmine this season.
 
In total, Lipscomb outperformed the Knights in rebounding 44-24 and held a 34-20 lead in points in the paint while hitting 15 three-pointers to Bellarmine’s seven.
 
Bellarmine will next travel to Richmond to compete against in-state opponent Eastern Kentucky on Saturday. The game is set to tip off at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN+ and ESPN 680/105.7.
 
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