Chris Dowe (10) and Malcolm Eleby (center) battle for a loose ball.
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HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. – Chris Dowe scored 17 of his game-high 22 points in the second half as No. 2 Bellarmine rallied for a 71-59 victory over No. 18 Northern Kentucky University on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 4,816 in The Bank of Kentucky Center.
With Bellarmine holding a 55-49 lead, Dowe went on a personal 9-0 run to extend the Knights' advantage to 64-49. He started the spurt with a conventional three-point play, and then scored on consecutive drives to the basket.
Dowe capped his scoring spree by making a short jumper with 5:44 left on the clock to give Bellarmine a commanding 64-49 lead, and the Knights coasted to their 14th consecutive win. The sophomore guard, who entered Saturday averaging 11.5 points per game, finished 6-for-9 from the field and was 9-for-10 at the free-throw line.
Earlier in the second half, Bellarmine used a 9-0 run to rally from a 41-38 deficit and take a 47-41 lead.
Justin Benedetti added 16 points for Bellarmine, which improved to 22-1 overall, 15-0 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference. Braydon Hobbs finished with 15 points for the Knights, who snapped NKU's six-game winning streak.
Dennis Gagai scored 12 points to lead NKU, which is 19-5 overall, 12-4 in the GLVC.
Bobby Shannon added 11 points for the Norse, who owned a 37-36 lead at halftime.
In the second half, NKU shot just 38.1 percent from the field and was 3-for-8 from the free-throw line. The Norse also committed 12 of their 17 turnovers in the second half.
Erik Stenger finished with eight points and six rebounds for NKU, while teammate
Malcolm Eleby added six points, seven assists and six rebounds. Bellarmine won the battle of the boards by a 35-28 margin.
NKU still holds a 43-34 edge against Bellarmine in the all-time series. Bellarmine, however, is 6-1 against NKU in the last seven meetings. The Knights have also beaten the Norse the last four times in Highland Heights.
NKU's last victory at home against Bellarmine came on Feb. 19, 2007, when the Norse pulled out a 91-82 overtime win in Regents Hall.
NKU wraps up the regular season next week with road games at Indianapolis (Thursday at 7:30 p.m.) and Southern Indiana (Saturday at 4:15 p.m.). The Norse will then play host to a first-round GLVC Tournament game Feb. 26 against an opponent to be determined.
