LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) – Bellarmine’s first Division I victory came almost a month ago, and the Knights have played only twice since, and only one of those games was at home in Freedom Hall.
When Bellarmine welcomed NCAA Division III Transylvania to the Hall Friday night, it was like throwing Thanksgiving dinner down in front of a bunch of starving men.
The Knights were razor sharp, sprinted to a quick 22-5 lead and never let up, beating Transy 90-40, while shooting 65.5% from the field.
This was a team hungry for any victory it could get, and it played like it.
“You’re exactly right,” Bellarmine coach Scott Davenport said. “… After Notre Dame, we didn’t say we ‘should’ve’ won. But the confidence we took out of that was, if we had executed better, if we’d done what we’d been told, could the outcome have been different? We don’t know. We’ll never know. But they sure had great purpose all week in practice and as a teacher, that’s encouraging.”
The significance of the victory on the first day of 2021 was that it was Bellarmine’s first win as an NCAA Division I team in venerable Freedom Hall. And Davenport said he talked to his players about that both before and after the game.
“From a Division I standpoint, they will always be the first (Bellarmine) team to win a game in this unbelievable Freedom Hall. And they responded with a big cheer after the game and they deserve that,” Davenport said. “… From a personal standpoint, we walked-through today at 11 o’clock. . . . After we finished at noon, I walked Freedom Hall for an hour. I went in the old Hickman-Camp room, went in the upstairs executive meeting rooms, walked the ramps, just trying to keep in perspective keeping these young people focused on this journey. … We talked tonight before the game about Freedom Hall. These players already this season have been to Cameron Indoor Stadium and been to Notre Dame and now we’re playing in Freedom Hall. These players are enjoying every moment of it. They are, and they should.”
Bellarmine was led by Pedro Bradshaw, who had 20 points (on 8 of 9 shooting) and 8 rebounds in 18 minutes. The Knights got 15 points on 5-for-5 shooting, including a trio of 3-pointers, from C.J. Fleming. Davenport used 14 players and 12 of them scored.
“We played like we practiced,” he said. “We came back (from Christmas break) Sunday evening, and played like we practiced, and that’s very encouraging. Since Sept. 22 through Dec. 22, we had all 15 players for 15 minutes one day. Then we had an injury. But they continue to be persistent. . . . We’re using this game as our exact way we will play for the next 8 weeks in conference. Playing at 7 o’clock on Friday, then 5 o’clock on Saturday. Ice baths, treatment, hydration, refueling, etc. This will be exactly what we do for the next 8 weeks in conference play.”
The second half of that dress rehearsal will come Saturday, when Mount St. Joseph’s visits Freedom Hall at 5 p.m.
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