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LOUISVILLE, Ky. - One glance at the halftime statistics told Northern Kentucky University head coach Dave Bezold his team was in trouble Tuesday night against Bellarmine. "We were shooting 57 percent from the field, and yet we were tied at the half," Bezold said. "Bellarmine only shot 38 percent in the first half and still played even with us. I knew that wasn't a good sign." In the second half, Bellarmine connected on 63.3 percent from the field and cruised to a 78-66 win over NKU in the Great Lakes Valley Conference opener for both teams. The Knights used a 24-7 run in the second half to erase a 44-43 deficit and sent the Norse (2-1) to their first loss of the season. NKU jumped out to a 12-5 lead early in the game behind the scoring of James Cripe and Harrison Morton. Bellarmine, however, battled back and forged a 32-all tie at the break. Brandon Clifford took over in the second half and scored 12 of his 17 points to lead Bellarmine. Clifford also grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds and hit a trio of 3-point shots. La Salle University transfer Dzaflo Larkai added 15 points on 7-for-8 shooting from the field for Bellarmine, which finished with a 40-26 rebounding advantage. Matt Otte scored 12 points and grabbed six rebounds for Bellarmine, which defeated NKU for the third straight season in Knights Hall. Cripe led NKU with 17 points, while Morton scored 14 and grabbed six rebounds. Vincent Humphrey and Anthony Teague each scored 10 points for the Norse, who were 20-for-33 from the free-throw line. "You can't miss 13 free throws on the road and expect to beat a good team like Bellarmine," Bezold said. NKU returns to action Saturday at 7 p.m. with a non-conference game against Thomas More in Regents Hall. |
