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INDIANAPOLIS – NCAA Division II No. 8 Bellarmine took advantage of 26 fouls by No. 11 UIndy men's basketball to make 33-of-36 free throws and earn the victory, 77-68, in front of 3,121 on Pack the House Night at Nicoson Hall.

"It was a great basketball game played in front of a great atmosphere tonight by two of the best teams in the country," head coach Stan Gouard said. "I'd like to thank everybody that came out and supported us."

The Knights (15-2, 7-2 GLVC) made their first 20 free throws before Max Clemons missed his second with 6:51 remaining in the game on the way to shooting 91.7 percent. That helped the Knights overcome shooting just 40 percent (19-47) from the field and 6-of-19 (.316) behind the arc.

The Greyhounds (14-3, 6-3 GLVC) were able to hold the lead and stay close all game despite shooting struggles of their own from behind the arc (4-19). UIndy countered by going 19-of-30 from inside the arc on the way to a 30-20 edge in points in the paint. The Hounds also made 18-of-25 (.720) free throws.

"We played hard for the most part, but weren't smart down the stretch," Gouard said. "They executed better than we did and took advantage of us fouling too much. They did a better job of making the adjustment to how the game was officiated."

Reece Cheatham led UIndy with 18 points, three rebounds and three assists, while Tyrae Robinson added 16 points, four rebounds and four assists. James Hollowell and Brennan McElroy each scored 10 for the Greyhounds.

Bellarmine was balanced with five in double figures, led by Keisten Jones off the bench with 18 points, including 8-of-8 free throws. Chris Dowe had 17 points and five assists, while Vance Hall added 12 points and 11 rebounds. Jake Thelen and Clemons scored 12 and 10, respectively.

The Knights limited UIndy to just four offensive rebounds for a 9-5 edge in second-chance points on six offensive caroms of their own. Both teams committed only 10 turnovers with Bellarmine holding a slim lead, 12-11, in points off turnovers, while UIndy led 12-2 in fast break points.

The Greyhounds took the lead, 49-48, with 10:09 remaining when Hollowell's steal led to his tip-in lay-up on the fast break and the Knights called timeout. Out of the stoppage, UIndy's Avery Harmon fouled Hall along the baseline and he made both to put BU back in front and start a 6-0 run to go up five, 54-49, with 7:26 to play.

UIndy hung around and pulled within one, 55-54, as Cheatham fed Hollowell for a lay-up, but the Knights came back with a 13-3 run to increase its lead, 67-57, with 2:09 remaining. A Cheatham three cut the lead to five, 73-68, with 21 seconds left, but the Hounds couldn't get any closer.

The Greyhounds held the lead at halftime, 29-28, but didn't score in the final 2:46 after Harmon made a jumper on the break to put UIndy up three, 29-26. Bellarmine didn't make a field goal either in that stretch with just two free throws to account for the slim margin at intermission.

Neither team led by more than four in the opening stanza as Bellarmine was ahead 12-8 before UIndy came back to lead 27-23 with 4:49 to play in the half. UIndy shot 44 percent in the first half, but just 1-of-9 from distance, while the Knights made all seven free throws and hit three behind the arc as part of an overall 32 percent effort (9-28).

UIndy concludes this three-game homestand on Thursday at 7:45 p.m. against Lewis (11-6, 5-4), which defeated No. 3 Kentucky Wesleyan on Thursday night.