KIRKSVILLE, Mo. - - Junior Reed Mells' 17-footer from the top of the key with one second to play helped cap a perfect 2-0 weekend against perennial Great Lakes Valley Conference frontrunners, as the Truman men's basketball team earned a 92-90 home victory against Bellarmine (Ky.) on Saturday afternoon in Pershing Arena.
 
Mells – who finished with a game-high 23 points in 36 minutes – went 1-on-1 for the game's final play with the score even at 90 apiece. With five seconds on the clock, he made his move left and rose above a Knight defender to hit nothing but net with 1.0 remaining on the clock. A final Bellarmine (16-5, 8-5 GLVC) three-point try was no good, giving the 'Dogs (17-4, 10-3 GLVC) their second straight nail-biting victory in three days.
 
Both teams came out blazing in the first half, with each squad shooting better than 55 percent in the opening 20 minutes. After a BU triple pulled the Knights within one at 46-45 with 43 seconds to play, the Bulldogs exploded for five points in the final seven seconds of the half. Cole Myers drained a triple from the corner, and an impromptu press by the Bulldogs forced a Bellarmine errant pass, which afforded Mells his first of two last second jumpers of the day. His steal and basket as time expired in the first half sent the 'Dogs to the locker room ahead, 51-46.
 
BU chipped away at Truman's lead in the second half, eventually overtaking the Bulldogs on a triple to go ahead 61-60 with 14:15 to play. The Knights would lead by as many as eight with 7:11 remaining, but the Bulldogs limited the Knights to just three baskets in the next five minutes and eventually drew even at 88-all on Andrew Vander Zwaag's sixth three-pointer of the game with 1:38 on the clock.
 
Both teams had chances on each of their ensuing possessions, but a Knight miss and subsequent foul sent Mike Carlson to the foul line with 29 seconds to play. The senior, who finished with 20 points and six rebounds, calmly hit both to give Truman a 90-88 lead.
 
Bellarmine's Jake Thelen converted on a lay-up just six seconds later, setting up Mells' late-game heroics for the win.
 
Mells' game-high 23 points came on 8-of-13 shooting, along with a 7-of-7 effort from the foul line, as the nation's top assist-to-turnover ratio holder handed out five helpers as well. Along with Carlson's 20 points, Vander Zwaag scored 18 points off the bench, while Seth Jackson scored 13 first-half points en route to 17 on the day to go alongside five assists. For the game, the Bulldogs shot 53% from the field against the GLVC's top field goal defense (by percentage) squad, hitting 32-of-60 total shots (13-of-27 three-pointers). The 'Dogs once again rose to the challenge on the glass, matching BU 30-30 overall and finishing even with the Knights with each team totaling 10 second-chance points.
 
Like Truman, Bellarmine put four players in double-figures, led by Thelen's 21 points and 10 rebounds. Keisten Jones added 19 points and seven assists for BU, who entered the week one spot out of the NABC top-25 coaches' poll.
 
The win also guaranteed Truman a spot in the GLVC tournament come early March, with the Bulldogs joining just four other league schools with 10 conference wins through 13 league games. The purple and white will run into one of those programs in its next game this coming Thursday (Feb. 13) night, as Truman will visit No. 8 Indianapolis (19-2, 11-2 GLVC) at 6:45 p.m. (CDT).
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