By GREG MENGELT
The Knights led start to finish and held off a late Dolphin run to win the title in just the program’s second year in Division I. Bellarmine (20-13) isn’t eligible for the NCAA Tournament for two more years, so regular-season champion Jacksonville State (21-10) claims the automatic berth to the Big Dance. Jacksonville (21-10) eliminated Jacksonville State from the conference tournament on Sunday, the same time as the Knights knocked off defending champion Liberty (22-11).
“We’ve made it a point to control what we can control and that’s it,” former Providence star Juston Betz said. “We’ll continue to be in the moment and never take for granted where we are.”
Bellarmine shot 50 percent (25 for 50) and nailed 12 of its 25 3-point shots (48 percent) and 15 of its 17 free throws (88.2). The Knights outscored Jacksonville 36-18 from behind the 3-point arc.
“I don’t know how any coach at any level of any sport could be more proud than I am,” Knights coach Scott Davenport said. “My highlight of this journey is seeing this team celebrate each other. That locker room was one of the highlights of my life.”
The Knights were led again by senior guard Dylan Penn (Evansville/Memorial), who finished with 22 points, six rebounds and four assists. Fellow senior C.J. Fleming (Cincinnati/LaSalle) had a game-high 27 points and Betz had eight points, a team-high nine rebounds, two assists and two steals in the win. Jacksonville got 22 points from senior guard Jordan Davis.
“It’s kind of surreal,” said Penn, who was named Tournament MVP. “It feels like we’re in a movie. We weren’t supposed to be competing at such a high level this early.”
The game was played in front of a raucous 6,251 fans at Freedom Hall.
“It was absolutely amazing and we’re thankful for every single person that came out tonight,” Fleming said. “The student support was absolutely amazing. We were just getting swarmed. It was such an amazing feeling.”
Bellarmine could be eligible to play in the NIT, if invited, or another postseason tournament.
