Knights Pass Bucs On Last-Second Basket
By Rori Eddie

Memphis--With just one tick left on the play clock, Bellarmine University forward Nathan Sexton claimed teammate Jared McCurry’s rebound and calmly netted the game-winning basket to give the visiting Knights the stunning 89-87, two-point victory over the Christian Brothers University men’s basketball team, inside De La Salle Gymnasium tonight.

At the 1:20 mark, the Buccaneers took an 87-84 advantage on the strength of Clint Dowdle’s two made free-throws, but Bellarmine would sprint right back down the floor and find nothing but the twine on Bruce Johnson’s made three-pointer, evening the basket-for-basket contest at 87 all.

CBU sophomore guard Joshua Moses would be ticketed with a controversial offensive foul with 16 seconds on the clock. The Buc turnover set up Sexton’s game-winning field goal.

Christian Brothers slips to 2-4 on the season, while Bellarmine improves to 5-3.

The Knights’ McCurry led all scorers on the night behind an 8-of-10 shooting night. The senior guard netted 19 points, six rebounds, three assists and one steal. Teammate and "Hero of the Night" Sexton finished the contest with 12 points and a team-high nine caroms. Johnson contributed 17 points off the bench, including three from downtown.

Bellarmine outshot CBU 63-to-52 percent from the floor, and won the battle in the paint, outscoring the Bucs 48-34.

Despite the loss, the Buccaneers featured four players in double-figures and two that fell just one point shy. Sophomore guard Matt Francis paced the CBU offense with a team-high 16 points, while icing a perfect 6-of-6 attempts from the charity stripe.

Dowdle added 15 points on a 5-of-9 outing from the floor, while teammate Paul Walker chipped in with 10 points off the bench. Moses would finish the contest with 14 points, three steals and three rebounds.

The Buccaneers will take the road Saturday, December 8th, to match-up with the University of Missouri at Rolla. Tip-off is slated for 3:30 PM.