Balanced offense fuels No. 9 Bruins past Dakota State, 89-64

Lee Ames scored 15 first half points.
Lee Ames scored 15 first half points.

Box Score

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Eleven Bruins scored as the ninth-ranked Bellevue University men's basketball team defeated Dakota State University, 89-64, Wednesday evening in nonconference action at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.

Bellevue has now won nine of its last 10 games and improved to 13-3 while Dakota State dropped to 7-10 overall. The win also marks the second time the Bruins have defeated DSU this season. BU posted an 85-73 victory over the Trojans on Nov. 9 in Mitchell, S.D.

Lee Ames and Thomas Hammock each scored 15 points to lead the BU offense and Taylor Young chipped in 12 points, three assists, two rebounds and one block.

Given Kalipinde registered nine points, a team-high seven rebounds and four assists and Michael Dotson recorded eight points, six rebounds and four assists.

Darren Redstar tallied 10 points and five rebounds while Bailey Sanders posted a career-high eight assists, without a turnover, off the bench in 14 minutes of action.

Trailing 19-16 with 11:44 left in the first half, the Bruins went on a key 12-0 run to regain the lead, 28-19. BU led the remaining of the period and finished the stanza on an 11-0 spurt to take a 23-point lead at halftime, 53-30.

Ames paced the Bruins with 15 first half points on 5-of-6 shooting from three-point range.

BU shot 52.6 percent from the field in the first half and also made nine 3-pointers.

The Bruins led the entire second half by double-figures and made seven 3-pointers en route to the 89-64 win.

Hammock scored 12 of his 15 points in the second period to lead the offensive attack.

BU shot 48.5 percent from the field with 16 made 3-pointers and held DSU to only 38.5 percent shooting. The Bruins outrebounded the Trojans, 45-32, and BU's bench also outscored DSU's bench, 41-0.

DSU was led by Dylan Hale's game-high 19 points and Marcus Smith's 18 points, four rebounds and three assists.

The Bruins will return to action on Saturday, Jan. 11 when they travel to Forest City, Iowa for their conference-opener at Waldorf College (6-5). Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. at Hanson Fieldhouse.


Game Scoring
Dakota State...30-34--64
Bellevue..........53-36--89

DSU: Hale, 19; Smith, 18; Sansavour, 14; Hofer, 9; Robinson, 4.
BU: Ames, 15; Hammock, 15; Young, 12; Redstar, 10; Kalipinde, 9; Dotson, 8; Strong, 7; Droll, 4; Chonis, 4; Sellers, 3; Worthen-Harris, 2.