By GREG MENGELT
The game was tied at 9-apiece early before the Colonels (13-17, 5-11 Atlantic Sun) went on a 17-7 run and led the rest of the way. Eastern Kentucky took a 39-22 lead into halftime. The closest the Knights to the rest of the afternoon was 14 points.
The Knights (17-13, 11-5) shot just 42.6 percent from the floor (23 of 54) in the loss. Junior guard Garrett Tipton (Columbus, Ohio) had a team-high 14 points off the Bellarmine bench.
Former Providence star Juston Betz finished with four points, nine rebounds, three assists, a steal and a blocked shots. Like the rest of the team, the senior struggled shooting, going 2 for 7 overall and 0 for 3 from behind he 3-point stripe.
Junior guard Jomanu Brown had a game-high 22 points for the Colonels, who had lost five of their last six games heading into Saturday’s win. Four different Eastern Kentucky players scored at least eight points and the Colonel bench outscored Bellarmine’s 44-18.
Bellarmine will host its quarterfinal game of the Atlantic Sun Tournament next Thursday at 7 p.m. at Freedom Hall. The Knights will face either Florida Gulf Coast (20-10) or North Alabama (9-20) for a spot in the semifinals.
