FOREST CITY, Iowa -- Despite playing with just five players the majority of the contest, Waldorf University escaped with a dramatic 72-71 victory over Bellevue University in North Star Athletic Association men's basketball action Friday night at the Hanson Fieldhouse.
The loss snapped the Bruins' six-game winning streak as BU fell to 16-7 on the season and 6-1 in the NSAA. Waldorf improved to 7-14 overall and 4-4 in league play.
Lewis Hayes led the Bruins with 21 points and four rebounds. Jemeil King added 12 points, four assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
Demetrius Martin paced the Warriors with 19 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Melvin Martin added 16 points, six rebounds and three assists. Gabriel Munoz nearly recorded a double-double, finishing with 13 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks.
The Martins combined for 23 first-half points as the Warriors shot a sizzling 66.7 percent (14-of-21) from the field to grab a 38-30 halftime advantage. Waldorf led by as many 12 points on three occasions in the opening 20 minutes, despite using just five players.
Bellevue, who shot just 37.5 percent in the first half, was led by Jaron Dickson and Jaylen Wiltz, who scored six points apiece in the first period.
Trailing by nine points, Bellevue used consecutive 3-pointers by King and Connor Dukes to pull to within three points at 48-45, forcing a Warrior timeout with 13 minutes remaining in the game.
A five-point BU run capped by a 3-pointer from Amenofis Mitchell drew the Bruins to within two points (52-50) midway through the second half.
After pulling to within a point following an emphatic dunk by Isaiah Bates, the Warriors made six-consecutive free throws, including four-straight by Munoz, to give WU a 62-55 lead at the five-minute mark.
Trailing by seven points (69-62) with 2:50 left in the game, the Bruins scored six-straight points to make it a one-point contest with 47 seconds remaining.
After Quincy Minor Jr. made one-of-two free throws to make it a two-point game, Hayes' 3-point play gave the Bruins their first lead of the game at 71-70 with 10 seconds left in the contest. Melvin Martin responded with a contested driving layup to give WU a 72-71 advantage with 3.8 seconds remaining.
After calling two timeouts, the Bruins could not get a shot off as time expired, giving the Warriors the one-point victory.
The Bruins will travel to La Crosse, Wis. on Saturday (Feb. 1) for a 5 p.m. NSAA matchup with Viterbo University.