Derek Smith

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Bellarmine converted five free throws in the final 24 seconds of the game Sunday to rally for a 64-60 win over Northern Kentucky University in a battle of unbeaten teams.

In a game that featured 20 lead changes and 11 ties, Marcus Flynn made two free throws to give Bellarmine a 61-60 advantage with 24 seconds remaining. After an NKU timeout, Steve Purdon attempted a three-pointer that hit the back of the rim and was chased down by Matt Miller.

NKU’s Pat Cary was called for an intentional foul with 8.1 seconds remaining, and Miller made one of two free throws to extend Bellarmine’s lead to 62-60. Matt Pait then sealed the win for Bellarmine by converting two free throws, and the Knights defeated NKU for the first time since Feb. 3, 1994.

“We talked about playing winning basketball, and not turning the ball over, and I take a look at the stats and see we committed 20 turnovers,” NKU head coach Dave Bezold said. “We have to get much better offensively. (NKU leading scorer) Mike Kelsey only had five shots in this game, so we were not doing the things we need to do on offense.”

Going into Sunday, NKU had defeated Bellarmine 19 consecutive times. The Knights improved to 4-0 overall, 1-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. NKU dropped to 4-1 overall, 1-1 in the GLVC.

NKU led by as many as six points in the first half, but Bellarmine pulled to within two points (31-29) at the break when Miller made a pair of free throws with one second remaining. The Norse still owned a 43-39 lead with 10:42 left, but Calvin Fowler scored five straight points to give Bellarmine a 44-43 advantage.

Pait scored a basket with 59 seconds left to give Bellarmine a 59-57 lead, but Derek Smith countered by following his own miss and converting the shot while being fouled. He finished off the conventional three-point play by making the free throw to give NKU a 60-59 lead with 34.5 seconds remaining.

On the ensuing Bellarmine possession, Harrison Morton was called for a hand-checking foul with 24 seconds left. Flynn hit two free throws to give the Knights a 61-60 lead, and Bellarmine added three more charity tosses in the closing seconds to wrap up the victory.

Smith scored a career-high 20 points and added five rebounds for NKU, which made just 38.9 percent of its shots from the field. In the second half, the Norse shot 9-for-30 from the field.

Morton and Cary each added 12 points for NKU, which managed just seven assists against 20 turnovers. Kelsey - who scored 25 points during a victory at Kentucky Wesleyan on Friday - was held to three points by the Bellarmine defense.

Pait led Bellarmine with 14 points, while Miller added 11 points. Fowler finished with 10 points, and Montonio Blake chipped in eight points.

NKU will visit Indianapolis at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, followed by a 4 p.m. Saturday game at Saint Joseph’s.