CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Citadel men's basketball team battled throughout Monday night's matchup but fell to Bellarmine, 70 to 58, inside McAlister Field House. The Bulldogs controlled the glass with a 44 to 24 rebounding advantage but were unable to overcome the Knights' perimeter shooting.
The Citadel opened the game with strong interior play, taking an early 11 to 5 lead behind baskets from
Carter Kingsbury,
Keynan Davis, and
Cassius Bonjasky. Bellarmine answered with an 18 to 4 stretch sparked by four first-half three-pointers from Kenyon Goodin, allowing the Knights to take a 35 to 31 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs generated 24 points in the paint before the break and used their offensive rebounding to create extended possessions.
The Bulldogs continued to compete throughout the second half. Kingsbury provided a lift with mid-range scoring and drives to the basket, while
Eze Wali attacked the lane for timely finishes. Sophomore
Dante Kearse added seven points and five rebounds, and
Simeon German brought physicality around the rim with nine boards.
Kingsbury led The Citadel with 11 points and six rebounds. Wali added 10 points and seven rebounds, Davis contributed six points and three boards, and Bonjasky supplied seven points off the bench. The Bulldogs shot 22 of 59 from the field and 3 of 24 from beyond the arc while finishing with 38 points in the paint and 16 second-chance points.
Bellarmine shot 50 percent from the floor and 50 percent from three. Goodin led all scorers with 24 points on 6 of 9 shooting from long range, while Jack Karasinski added 16 points.
Conroy's Comments
"We thought we could control the pace better with our matchups, but going 3 for 24 from three really put us behind. Credit to Bellarmine because they were aggressive and physical all night. I was disappointed with how much we settled and how many one on one possessions we had, which made the shots tougher. I do not think 3 for 24 is characteristic of us, and on a normal shooting night our rhythm looks different and hopefully the outcome does too."
Dogs of the Day
Carter Kingsbury – 11 points, 6 rebounds
Eze Wali – 10 points, 7 rebounds
Keynan Davis – 6 points, 3 rebounds
Cassius Bonjasky – 7 points, 4 rebounds
Simeon German – 9 rebounds, 4 points
Up Next
The Citadel continues its Feast Week homestand on Wednesday, Nov. 26, as Houston Christian visits McAlister Field House for a 7 p.m. matchup on ESPN+. For complete coverage of Bulldog basketball, visit CitadelSports.com and follow @CitadelHoops on X and Instagram.
