LOUISVILLE, Ky. (Interstat) — In a game defined by a blistering start and a furious, desperate finish, Lipscomb survived a monumental second-half rally from Bellarmine to escape Knights Hall with a 75-72 victory in an ASUN Conference men’s basketball clash on Wednesday night.

The visiting Bisons, who led by as many as 16 points in the first half and took an eight-point advantage into the break, saw that cushion evaporate completely under a relentless Bellarmine assault after halftime. The Knights, fueled by a decisive 42-18 advantage in points in the paint and an 18-5 edge in points off turnovers, clawed all the way back to take a late lead before a cold-blooded three-pointer from the corner in the final seconds sealed the win for Lipscomb.

The most critical sequence of the game unfolded in the closing seconds. With the score tied at 72 and just 14 seconds remaining, Lipscomb called a timeout to set up a final play. Out of the break, guard Mateo Esmeraldo found Titas Sargiunas open in the right corner. The sophomore from Lithuania, who had missed his previous four attempts from deep, calmly sank the three-pointer with five seconds on the clock, giving the Bisons a 75-72 lead. Sargiunas was fouled on the play and made the ensuing free throw to complete the four-point possession, which proved the final margin after Bellarmine’s last-gasp three-point attempt missed.

The game was a tale of two starkly different halves, dictated by contrasting styles. Lipscomb built its early lead with precision from beyond the arc, connecting on 10 first-half three-pointers. Ross Candelino, who finished with a team-high 17 points, and Ethan Duncan, who added 13, provided the early firepower. The Bisons shot 47.2% from deep in the opening period while holding Bellarmine to just 28 points on 1-of-9 shooting from three-point range.

Bellarmine’s comeback was engineered by a complete shift in momentum after intermission. The Knights abandoned the perimeter and attacked the rim with purpose, shooting 64.5% from inside the arc in the second half. Jack Karasinski was the primary catalyst, scoring 17 of his game-high 23 points after halftime. Brian Waddell added 18 points and Tyler Doyle facilitated with 14 points and five assists, as Bellarmine methodically chipped away at the deficit.

The Knights finally drew even at 65-65 on a Doyle layup with 4:28 remaining, setting the stage for a tense final stretch that featured three ties and two lead changes. Bellarmine took its first lead since the opening minutes, 70-68, on a Karasinski layup with 1:11 left. Lipscomb’s Charlie Williams answered with a hook shot on the next possession to tie it, preceding the dramatic final sequence with Sargiunas’ clutch shot.

Despite being outshot from the field overall — Bellarmine made 29 of 61 attempts to Lipscomb’s 25 of 53 — the Bisons won the game at the three-point line and the free-throw line. Lipscomb made 16 three-pointers to Bellarmine’s seven, a 27-point advantage from deep, and went a perfect 9-for-10 from the charity stripe. Bellarmine was just 7 of 11 on free throws.

Williams provided a crucial all-around performance for Lipscomb with 12 points, seven assists and a block. Esmeraldo matched his seven assists, directing the offense that committed only 10 turnovers against an active Bellarmine defense that recorded eight steals.

The loss overshadowed a dominant interior performance by the Knights, who out-rebounded Lipscomb 35-24 and grabbed eight offensive boards. Kenyon Goodin contributed 11 points for Bellarmine.

With the win, Lipscomb improves to 17-11 overall and completes a regular-season sweep of the Knights, having also won the prior meeting in Nashville on Jan. 15. Bellarmine falls to 11-16. An announced crowd of 1,782 at Knights Hall saw the contest, which exceeded the pregame over/under total of 159.

Lipscomb next hosts North Alabama on Saturday, while Bellarmine remains at home to face Eastern Kentucky, also on Saturday.