BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Kenny Jackson drained a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer to give visiting Dickinson State University a 64-62 victory over Bellevue University Friday night in North Star Athletic Association action at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
The loss dropped the Bruins to 7-11 on the season and 1-1 in the NSAA. DSU improved to 5-8 overall and 1-1 in league play.
Justin Bessard (17) and Jaron Dickson (16) combined for 33 points to lead the Bruin offense. Both players added eight rebounds. Richard Reed finished with 10 points and three boards.
Michael Vandall paced the Blue Hawks with 21 points and 15 rebounds. Melvin Collins contributed with 11 points and three assists and Donte Walker finished with 10 points.
Jackson scored seven points, with four coming in the final 30 seconds.
Dickson hit his first four shots from the field, including three from behind the arc, as BU built a 19-14 lead midway through the first half. The Blue Hawks responded with a seven-point run to take a 21-19 lead with 7:35 remaining in the period.
Sparked by a pair of 3-pointers from Dukes, the Bruins ended the half on a 14-7 scoring run to take a 33-27 lead at the break.
Dickson led the Bruins in the first half with 11 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Bessard added eight points and four boards.
Vandall paced the Blue Hawks in the opening period with 10 points and nine rebounds.
A 3-pointer from Connor Dukes capped a 9-3 BU spurt to open the second half as the Bruins grabbed a 42-30 advantage at the 17:21 mark. DSU countered with a 19-2 run over the next eight minutes to take a 49-44 lead midway through the second period.
A deep 3-pointer from Reed tied the contest at 50-apiece at the 6:13 mark. After BU used a 7-2 run to take a five-point lead, the Blue Hawks responded with six-straight points to regain the advantage at 58-57 at the 2:19 mark.
After a short jumper by Jackson gave DSU at 62-59 lead with 32 seconds remaining in the contest, Bessard tied the game with a triple with 18 seconds left in regulation.
After a Bruin timeout, Jackson drained a 15-foot jumper at the buzzer to pull out the 64-62 Blue Hawk victory.
The Bruins will host Presentation College on Saturday at 5 p.m. in an NSAA contest at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.