Bellarmine Rolls Into NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen

Sunday, March 15, 2009

Bellarmine Rolls Into NCAA DII Sweet Sixteen

Bellarmine 92
Lake Superior St. 83

NCAA Division II Tournament 2nd Round

The Bellarmine Knights (26-6) extended their school record for most wins in a season with a victory over Lake Superior State in the second round of the NCAA DII Tournament. The Knights were led by Chartrael Hall, who tied his career high with 27 points, and Justin Benedetti, who set a new career high with 25 points. Braydon Hobbs added 18 points in the victory.

Lake Superior State (22-9) was led by Scott Perkins with 19 points and Mark Morse with 18.

Bellarmine advances to the Sweet Sixteen, where they will face top-seeded Findlay (32-0) on Tuesday night. Findlay is ranked #1 in NCAA Division II basketball and Bellarmine is #18.

Box Score

Game Recap

3 comments:

Ernie Muppet said...: Go Knights! We were robbed by the refs in the regional final, but Bellarmine basketball is back, baby.; March 22, 2009 1:41 AM
BluegrassHoopster said...: Bellarmine had a great season. What happened in the regional final?; March 24, 2009 1:27 AM
Ernie Muppet said...: Well, simply put, Bellarmine got hosed by the refs. In the NCAA D-II Tournament the top seed in each region hosts the region. Findlay moved up from the NAIA maybe ten years ago, but has a good team and hosted the regional in their dump of a gym.

The house was packed and rocking, including a tremendous contingent of Bellarmine fans. The game was extremely tight and went into OT. But it might not have even gone into overtime had a bush league move not happened: as BU's star PG Chartrael Hall was shooting a free throw to give the Knights the lead at the end of regulation, the refs let a mass of Findlay students literally run from their section at the other end of the court to where Hall was shooting and, as there were no empty seats, spill onto the hardwood as Hall shot. Major distraction, to put it mildly.

Even worse, at the end of OT, Bellarmine's Justin Benedetti drained an absolutely clutch three to tie it, but the three-point call was overruled by a ref away from the play, and the basket went for two. I was seated a few rows behind the Bellarmine bench, right by this play, and watched Benedetti's feet step behind the line prior to his shot. One of the worst calls I've ever seen, one which could not come at a worse time.

Findlay went on to win the D-II title. It very well could've been Bellarmine hanging an NCAA national championship banner but for some horrid officiating.; August 19, 2009 10:27 PM

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Sunday, March 15, 2009