BELLEVUE, Neb. — Led by Martis Johnson, the Bellevue University men’s basketball team earned a series sweep over Waldorf University, downing the Warriors, 59-48, Saturday night in North Star Athletic Association action at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
With the win, the Bruins improved to 14-9 on the season and 6-3 in the NSAA. Waldorf fell to 6-15 overall and 2-7 in league play.
Johnson finished with 12 points, going 3-of-7 from behind the arc. Paulo Araujo added nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Vinny Belcaster chipped in with eight points, four boards, and three assists.
Justin Motley recorded a game-high 11 rebounds while going 3-of-3 from the field for six points.
Khyle Washington paced the Warriors with 13 points and two rebounds. Noah Gwinn added nine points and five rebounds.
Similar to Friday night’s contest against Viterbo, neither team could establish control in the early going, with the largest lead for either team being five points, until the Bruins closed the half on a 5-0 run to take a 29-23 lead into the intermission.
The first half featured three ties and one lead change.
Johnson led BU in the opening half with seven points, going 2-for-3 from long range.
Washington paced the Warriors in the first half with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
The Bruins scored the first eight points of the second half to grab a 14-point lead at 37-23 with 15:31 remaining in the contest.
Waldorf did not score until five minutes into the second half on a free throw by Tyree’on Johnson.
A five-point BU run extended the margin to 20 points at 44-24 at the 13:46 mark.
A monstrous dunk by Keenami Maggard made it 46-25 with 12:51 left in the game.
The Warriors did not record a field goal in the second half until seven-and-a-half minutes into the period.
An 8-1 WU run drew the Warriors to within 13 points at 51-38 as BU went without a field goal for nearly four minutes.
After four-straight points by Araujo gave the Bruins a 17-point lead, the Warriors battled back with their own 4-0 run to make it a 13-point contest at 57-44 at the 1:34 mark.
A pair of free throws by Fredery Cuello made the final, 59-48.
The Bruins will host league-leader Mayville State University on Friday, Feb. 3, at 5:30 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
BELLEVUE, Neb. — Seven players scored at least seven points, and the Bruins shot 54.1 percent from the field as the Bellevue University women’s basketball team registered a 90-55 victory over visiting Waldorf University Saturday afternoon in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
The Bruins, who won their fourth-straight game, remained tied for the conference lead, improving to 8-1 in league play and 14-8 overall. Waldorf dropped to 4-15 on the season and 2-7 in the NSAA.
Taylor Dement led the Bruins with 16 points, four rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Miranda Hennings added 13 points, going 3-of-4 from behind the arc while adding four rebounds and four assists.
Kaziah Terrell went 6-of-8 from the field, finishing with 12 points along with three boards. Asha Scott collected nine points, eight rebounds, two assists, and two steals in the victory.
Kinsey Tweedy paced the Warriors with 12 points, going 3-for-3 from long range. Lizzie Garza added 11 points and seven rebounds, and Sandra Christian finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and a pair of assists.
The Bruins scored the first five points of the contest and closed the first quarter on an 18-2 run to grab a 29-12 lead after the opening 10 minutes of play.
BU shot 68.8 percent from the field in the opening quarter, going 11-of-16 from the field. Five Bruins scored at least four points in the opening frame.
A 5-0 run capped by a smooth 3-pointer from Hennings extended the margin to 22 points at 37-15 with 7:24 left in the second.
Delaney VanBlaricon drained a deep triple to cap a 7-0 run to end the half, giving the Bruins a 53-27 halftime advantage.
The 53 points were the most in a half by the Bruins this season, as BU shot a sizzling 66.7 percent from the field, going 20-for-30.
Terrell led BU in the opening half with 10 points, going 5-of-5 from the field. Hennings and Dement added eight points apiece.
Lindsay Field and Garza paced the Warrior offense in the first half with seven points each.
After Hennings drilled a 3-pointer to open the second half, giving BU a 29-point margin, the Warriors went on an 11-0 run to cut the deficit to 18 points at 56-38 with 7:23 left in the third frame.
Six-straight BU points pushed the margin to 24 points (62-38) midway through the third.
A 15-foot baseline jumper by VanBlaricon and a steal and a layup by Dement gave BU a 73-45 edge heading into the final stanza.
The Warriors scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to draw to within 24 points, but that was as close as WU would get as the Bruins cruised to the 90-55 victory.
The Bruins will host Mayville State University on Friday, Feb. 3, at 5:30 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
