bellarmine basketball 2011-12 meDia GUiDe - Bellarmine University ...

2010-2011 Season review2010-11: A Championship Season in ReviewEntering the 2010-11 season, theKnights were eager to show thebasketball world they deservedtheir spot in the national spotlight.After opening with a publicscrimmage against KentuckyState, Bellarmine made a boldstatement by going into the CintasCenter in Cincinnati and comingaway with a 63-61 exhibitionvictory over the Musketeers ofXavier University. Although justan exhibition, the victory wassignificant because the Musketeers were coming off two straight NCAADiv. 1 Sweet 16 appearances and hadn’t lost in Cintas in 24 games,which at the time was the third-longest streak in Division I.Bellarmine’s regular season opener also was something of a statementgame as the Knights avenged a 2009-10 double overtime lossto Wayne State by breezing past the Warriors by 20 points intheir Knights Hall and regular season debut. The Knights thenwent on the road collecting two victories in West Virginiabefore getting a rare road sweep of Kentucky Wesleyan andSouthern Indiana to open GLVC play. Bellarmine returnedto Knights Hall and picked up three wins and went into theChristmas break 8-0 and with the No. 1 ranking in the nationalpoll.Last season marked the first time that NCAA DII schoolshad a mandated 7-day vacation as part of the holidaybreak, and upon their return, the Knights stumbledagainst a talented NAIA opponent, dropping a 79-74 decisionto St. Catharine in the Bill Joergens Classic at SouthernIndiana. Bellarmine rebounded quickly, however, andcame right back the next day to beat Harris-Stowe by 24,which started a win streak of a school record 16 games.claimed an 84-70victory.In the secondround, Bellarminesquared offagainst NorthernKentucky--alsofor the thirdtime of the season.Again, theKnights and Norse waged a mighty battle with BU coming out on top 87-82.The regional final provided the Knights relief from GLVC teams. FerrisState and Midwest Regional Player of the Year Justin Keenan awaitedBellarmine in the finals to fight for a berth into the NCAA Elite 8. TheBulldogs came out and claimed a 39-37 halftime lead. After the break,however, the Knights came out--obviously on a mission--and outscoredFSU by 21 in the second half to claim the 85-66 victory and the regionalcrown. In that second period, the partisan home crowd wasso enthusiastic that FSU coach Bill Sall said, “It was the loudestgame I’ve ever been a part of.”In the opening round of the Elite 8 (the national quarterfinals),Bellarmine faced a Midwestern State squad thatproved more athletic than the Knights. Just as they didthroughout the regular season, however, the Bellarminesquad just proved too resilient for their competition andgutted out a 70-64 win to advance to the final four.Awaiting the Knights in the semifinals was MinnesotaState-Mankato, which owned a 28-4 record. Againthe Knights faced a tough challenge, and neither teamowned more than a 6-point lead until the Knights finallystretched it out in the final minute of the game and wonby seven, 81-74.As the calendar hit January, the Knights entered GLVCplay exclusively and ran their league record to 17-0until falling in their last regular season game to KentuckyWesleyan as the Panthers’ Cardell McFarlandset a Knights Hall record in scoring 47 points.Bellarmine rolled to 20-point victory in their openingGLVC tourney game againstRockhurst, and then avengedtheir loss to KWC with an 86-73 victory in the GLVC semifinals.In the championshipgame, the Knights faced atough Southern Indiana teamand outlasted the ScreamingEagles 87-81 in overtime.(At left, Chris Dowe nails a3-pointer with 1:37 left in OTto put BU up for good.)After capturing theirsecond straight GLVC title,Bellarmine won the right to host the NCAA Midwest Regional as the No.1 seed. The Knights again got a heavy dose of GLVC foes in the regional.In the opener, Bellarmine faced Indianapolis for the third time. In theirfirst meeting, BU’s Justin Benedetti hit a triple in the waning secondsto help the Knights escape 99-97, and in the rematch in Knights Hall,Bellarmine claimed an 80-70 victory.The regional opener for the Knights turned out to be the widest marginbetween the Knights and Greyhounds this season as BellarmineSaturday afternoon’s final pitted Bellarmine againstBYU-Hawaii. Both the Knights and the Seasidersopened a little tentatively before BU got hot andopened up a 9-point bulge. Playing in front of nationalTV audience, however, the Knights’ momentumseemed to be halted by back to back, lengthymedia timeouts. BYU-Hawaii stormed back to goup by six. Then the Knights again showed their trademark resiliency.With just six seconds remaining in the first half, Jeremy Kendle pulledup and hit a trey, and Braydon Hobbs stole the inbounds pass and hitJustin Benedetti for a layup to give the Knights a 47-43 halftime lead.Although the second period was a tense struggle, the Knights surrenderedthe lead just once at the 17:45 mark. Nick Holmes helped sealthe victory for the Knights as he blocked a shot by BYU-Hawaii’s JetChang with three ticks left on the clock. He then gathered the reboundand hit one of two free throws to ice the championship for the Knights.In a record-settingseason, Bellarminefinished 33-2 andwon the school’sfirst nationalchampionship inany sport. CoachScott Davenportwas named nationalcoach of theyear, and Kendleand Hobbs earnedAll America honors.2