FOREST CITY, Iowa -- Five Warriors scored in double figures as Waldorf College upset No. 9-ranked Bellevue University, 83-73, in the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference opener for both teams Saturday evening at the Hanson Fieldhouse.
Bellevue fell to 13-4 overall and 0-1 in the MCAC. Waldorf improved to 7-5 on the season and 1-0 in league play.
It marked the second-straight year Waldorf has defeated the Bruins in Forest City.
Given Kalipinde led the Bruins with 15 points and seven rebounds. Taylor Young added 13 points, four assists, and four rebounds. Lee Ames finished with 12 points and Isaiah Strong was the fourth Bruin in double figures with 11 points, while adding three assists.
Trey Scott led Waldorf with 18 points and five steals. Erik Brewer chipped in with 17 points and five rebounds as Waldorf shot 51.7 percent from the field, including 62.5 percent in the second half.
After opening the game with a layup by Ames, Waldorf scored the next 11 points to grab an 11-2 lead at the 14-minute mark. Bellevue battled back and two-straight 3-pointers by Thomas Hammock pulled the Bruins to within three points at 33-30 with 28 seconds left in the opening half before a layup by Brewer, just before the buzzer, gave Waldorf a 35-30 halftime advantage.
The Bruins were plagued by 10 turnovers in the opening half which led to eight Warrior points. Waldorf scored 20 points in the paint and nine second-chance points while building the five-point lead at the break.
The Warriors used a 17-7 run at the start of the second half to build a 52-39 lead with just over 14 minutes left in the game. A 5-0 run extended the Warrior margin to 17 points (62-45) at the 8:21 mark.
Five-straight points from Strong capped an 11-0 BU run to cut the deficit to single-digits at 62-56 with just under six minutes remaining in the contest.
That is as close as the Bruins would get as Waldorf nailed 11 free throws in the final two-and-a-half minutes to seal the, 83-73 victory.
The Bruins will return to action on Friday, Jan. 17 when they travel to York, Neb. for a conference matchup at York College. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the Freeman Center.
Game Scoring
Bellevue.....30-43--73
Waldorf......35-48--83
BU: Kalipinde, 15; Young, 13; Ames, 12; Strong, 11; Hammock, 9; Dotson, 4; Worthen-Harris, 4; Redstar, 3; Chonis, 2.
WC: Scott, 18; Brewer, 17; Nelson, 15; DeJohnett, 15; Carpenter, 11; Gibson, 5; Graham, 2.