EVANSVILLE, Ind. | The No. 5 University of Alabama in Huntsville men's basketball team fell in the first game of the 2016 Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic, dropping an 81-68 decision to No. 3 Bellarmine. UAH slips to 2-1 on the year, while the Knights improve to 2-1.
 
Turning Point
-After the Chargers narrowed their deficit to just five at 50-45 with 15:24 left in the contest, Bellarmine went on a 14-4 run over the next four minutes to go up 15, and though UAH would answer with an 8-0 run to cut the gap back to just seven, the Chargers would be able to pull no closer down the stretch.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Justin Ward came off the bench to lead the Chargers, going 7-for-12 from the floor to score 18 and pace UAH's quartet of double-figure scorers. Brandon Roberts scored 12 of his 15 in the second half, and joining Ward and Roberts in double figures were Seab Webster who scored 14 and Malik Cook-Stroupe who added 12.
-Webster finished the contest with his second double-double of the year as he also grabbed a team-best 10 rebounds.
-Ward was especially strong in the first half, going 5-for-6 and scoring 12 points in 11 minutes in the period.
-Cook-Stroupe – in just his third collegiate contest – had eight of UAH's 11 first points, and he was 5-for-6 from the field in the game.
-Bellarmine was paced by Adam Eberhard's 22-point, 14-rebound showing, and he was matched in offensive output by Rusty Troutman's 22 points.
-The Knights shot 50.0 percent from the floor and hit eight 3-pointers, while UAH was good on 43.9 percent of its attempts and went 10-for-28 from beyond the arc.
-Bellarmine held a 41-28 advantage on the glass.
-Both teams were unable to protect the basketball with UAH turning it over 18 times and BU giving it away 16 times, but the Knights finished the night with a 22-8 advantage in points off turnovers.
 
Inside the Flow
- Bellarmine jumped out to a 7-0 lead with UAH's first basket not coming until the 15:57 mark of the half, but that first basket sparked a 14-7 run for the Chargers who tied the game at 14-14 with 11:57 on the clock after Ward completed an old-fashioned 3-point play.
-Taking advantage of a 22-9 rebounding margin in the period which resulted in a 10-0 edge in second-chance points, the Knights reclaimed their lead and eventually pushed it all the way out to 14 at 39-25 with 2:09 left before UAH closed the gap to 43-34 at the break.
-Roberts scored 10 of UAH's 11 points as the team closed the margin to the aforementioned five at 50-45 at the 15:24 mark.
 
Noteworthy
-The 18 points for Ward mark his best performance since scoring 27 against Lee on Dec. 19, 2015, and it represents the fourth-best scoring night of his career.
-Webster's double-double gives him eight for his career.
 
­Next Time Out
-The Chargers will conclude play the at the premier tournament on Saturday when the team takes on former GSC foe Lincoln Memorial at 3:30 p.m. The contest will stream on ESPN3 as part of the 2016-17 Division II Basketball Showcase.