CHADRON, Neb. -- Jalen Hall scored all of his game-high 21 points in the second half but the fourth-ranked Bellevue University men's basketball team fell to Chadron State College, 64-54, in an exhibition game on Saturday afternoon at the Chicoine Center.
The game did not impact Bellevue's overall record, however, with Chadron State counting it as a regular-season contest the Eagles improve to 2-2 on the season.
Both teams struggled to get into much rhythm offensively in the early going but a 9-0 Chadron State run over 4:05 in the latter portion of the first half gave the Eagles a 22-15 lead and seemed to get the offenses going with CSC taking a 26-20 lead into halftime.
Play was a little more fluid in the second half as BU cut the lead to just two points at the 12:16 mark on a basket from Hall. Five-straight points from the Eagles returned their lead to seven points but Bellevue again chipped away and cut the deficit to just two with 7:13 to play. However, Chadron State put the game away with an 8-0 over the ensuing 1:16 and didn't look back.
Connor Dukes, BJ Shelton, and Drew Apsher each scored six points for the Bruins with Shelton pulling down a team-high eight rebounds.
Jaisean Jackson led the Eagles with 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting. He was joined in double figures by Dru Kuxhausen and Leigh Saffin who each scored 11 points as well as Jeremy Ruffin with 10. Michael Johnson led Chadron State with 10 rebounds.
Bellevue is back in action next weekend with a pair of games at Midland University's Draemel Classic. The Bruins take on #18 Briar Cliff (Saturday, 2 p.m.) and Midland (Sunday, 3 p.m.) in the event.