So, Turner Buttry was out there hoopin’, droppin’ 22 points like it’s nothin’, but the EKU squad? Man, they couldn’t hit water if they fell outta boat! Cold shootin’ night had ‘em take an L, 80-74, down at Bellarmine in Louisville. Snapped their 8-game win streak like a fresh fade gone wrong.
EKU was out there brickin’ shots, hittin’ just 36% from the field and a measly 30% from deep. Meanwhile, Bellarmine was cookin’, shootin’ 54% like they couldn’t miss. Buttry was doin’ his thing, 7-for-15 and 4-for-10 from downtown, holdin’ it down. Montavious Myrick chipped in with nine points and snatched 11 boards—big man energy.
Colonels tried to rally, y’all. Second half, they cut a 12-point gap down to five with a quick 7-0 run. Mayar Wol hit a trey to cap it, makin’ it 47-42 with 14:45 left. But them Knights wasn’t playin’—they clapped back with an 8-2 run. Tyler Doyle’s layup had ‘em back up by 11, 55-44, and then Myles Watkins splashed a three to blow it open, 70-54.
EKU fought back late, though. Buttry hit a cold three from the left wing, Tyler Andrews dropped a layup—75-70 with 1:34 to go. Andrews even sank two freebies at 1:07, makin’ it 76-72, a four-point game. But that’s as close as they got, fam—no cigar.
Bellarmine’s Billy Smith was the real MVP, droppin’ 23 points like he owned the joint. EKU started ice-cold, 1-for-8, while the Knights were flamin’ in the first half, shootin’ 54%. Wol got a couple buckets to flip a 6-2 hole into a 7-6 lead, and Buttry’s layup plus Jackson Holt’s wing three had ‘em up 22-20 late in the first. But Bellarmine said, “Nah,” and closed the half on a 17-6 run. Smith’s three with 39 ticks left had ‘em up 37-28 at the break—EKU shot a sad 34% in that first half.
Second half kicked off with the Knights pushin’ it to 40-28, and Watkins’ layup later made it 47-35. Bellarmine held it down, and EKU’s 17-12 record (11-5 in ASUN) took a hit, while the Knights, sittin’ at 5-24 (2-14 in ASUN), got a rare dub. That’s the word on the street, y’all—tough night for the Colonels! photo courtesy EKU Athletics
