‘Incredibly proud of our guys.’ Bellarmine shows fight in Division I debut at Duke.

Bellarmine University has competed at a championship level in men’s basketball for years, so when the Knights made their move from NCAA Division II to Division I this season there was no way Coach Scott Davenport’s team was going to start over from the bottom.

That was evident in the Knights’ ambitious season opener Friday night. Louisville-based Bellarmine, which has won one national championship and made four Final Four appearances under Davenport in Division II in the past decade, made its Division I debut at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, N.C., home of college basketball blue blood Duke.

The Knights hung with the Blue Devils for a half before ultimately succumbing, 76-54, to a barrage of Duke three-pointers.

“You’re picking your poison,” Davenport said of defending sixth-ranked Duke’s potent offense. “They made (their three-pointers). You have to credit them.”

Matthew Hurt scored 24 points and accounted for six of Duke’s 13 three-pointers, and the Blue Devils used a 19-2 run in the second half to pull away.

The hot-shooting Blue Devils (2-1) raced to a 17-4 advantage and led 35-25 at the break behind 48% shooting. They had six three-pointers, one more than they hit in Tuesday’s 75-69 loss to eighth-ranked Michigan State.

Bellarmine overcame a 1-for-9 shooting start and closed within 28-25 late in the first half before Duke closed with a 7-0 run, taking a double-digit lead it never lost.

Junior guard Dylan Penn scored Bellarmine’s first Division I basket about two minutes into the game to tie it at 2.

”You can’t simulate their athleticism and physicality in practice no matter how long you have,” Davenport said of Duke. “But after the first eight minutes or so, we adjusted. No question. I was proud of that.”

The Knights making their season debut in one of college basketball’s most hallowed homes was not entirely of their choosing. Bellarmine was originally scheduled to open on the road against Chattanooga on Nov. 25 then make its home debut in Freedom Hall against Transylvania three days later. A Dec. 1 game at Dayton also has been delayed because of COVID-19 protocols.

Friday night, Hurt kept up his hot shooting and finished 9-of-12 from the field, including 6-of-8 from long range, to finish a point shy of his career high, which came against Boston College last December. Jaemyn Brakefield, who entered the game 1-for-4 from behind the arc, made all four deep shots for 12 points, while Jalen Johnson overcame two early fouls and finished with nine points. Duke shot 52%.

This performance was a big improvement over the Michigan State game, which Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski credited to better ball movement by his young squad.

“Another aspect is just them getting to know each other,” he said. “We are not a veteran team. Seven of the 11 guys are new.

“It’s not going to be a well-oiled machine, but it’s got to be a hard-working machine and a machine that keeps cutting down on the turnovers. We just have to keep working and keep trying to get better.”

Bellarmine (0-1) got 14 points from Nick Thelen and 13 from Ethan Claycomb. Bellarmine shot 43% and outscored Duke 38-30 in the paint, but was just 3-of-9 from long range and outrebounded 38-27.

“If I told you going into the game that points in the paint were going to be 38-30 Bellarmine,” Davenport said, “and then the free throw line was going to be even (five each), wow. Wow.

“But you got to give them credit because they go 13 out of 26 from the three-point line. ... So, incredibly proud of our guys.”

Next game

Bellarmine at Howard

When: 6 p.m. Sunday

Where: Washington, D.C.

Live video broadcast: ESPN Plus (online only)