POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - Senior Percy Lemle (Carson, Calif.) poured in a game-high 19 points to lead the No. 9 Bellevue University basketball team to a victory over No. 18 Indiana University East, 80-70, to close out the McDonald's CAM JAM Classic, hosted by College of the Ozarks, on Saturday afternoon.
Bellevue improved to 14-2 with their ninth straight victory while Indiana East fell to 12-5 with their third consecutive defeat.
Following a free throw by junior Taylor Young (Hawthorne, Calif.), Indiana East scored the final five points of the first half to build a 31-25 advantage at the intermission.
Bellevue reclaimed the lead in the second half before a pair of free throws from Jason Ray allowed the Wolves to tie the game at 57-57 with 7:16 to play. The Bruins would go on to out-score Indiana East 23-13 to close out the contest and claim the victory.
Young and senior Thomas Hammock (Compton, Calif.) both joined Lemle in double-figures with 15 points each. Young and Lemle combined to make 26 of 33 free throw attempts as the Bruins shot 75 percent (30-40) from the charity stripe, taking 22 more attempts than Indiana East. Lemle's 15 (15-of-19) free throws rank third in school history in BU's single-game records' book.
Despite giving up a 38-29 advantage on the glass and an 18-3 edge in second chance points, the Bruins had too much for the Wolves, scoring a 19-6 advantage in points off turnovers.
The Bruins return to action on Saturday, Jan. 10 with their 2014/15 Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference opener against Waldorf College at 5:00 p.m. at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
