ORANGE CITY, Iowa -- After falling behind by double digits in the early going, the Bruins battled back to take a four-point lead in the second half, only to go cold late as Dordt University handed BU an 87-76 loss in Bellevue's first game of the Northwestern College Men's Basketball Classic Friday night.
The Bruins fell to 3-2 on the season with the loss. Dordt improved to 2-0 overall. Both teams are receiving votes in the NAIA Pre-season Top 25 Poll.
Lewis Hayes led the Bruins with 18 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals. Keshawn Bruner added 13 points and five rebounds. Jemeil King was the third Bruin in double figures, finishing with 11 points along with five assists.
Jacob Vis led four Defenders in double figures, registering 20 points on 9-of-12 shooting from the field. Jesse Jansma added 17 points and six rebounds. Bryce Coppock went 3-of-4 from behind the arc, finishing with 13 points along with three rebounds.
After trailing by as many as 14 points early in the first half, the Bruins battled back to within four at the intermission as King's short jumper at the buzzer made it 42-38 at halftime.
King led BU in the first half with nine points and three assists. Bruner added eight points and four assists. Hayes provided seven points and three boards.
Vis led the Defenders in the opening half with 11 points and four rebounds.
A 3-pointer by Jonah Brown gave BU a 60-56 lead, forcing a Dordt timeout with 12 minutes left in the contest.
The Defenders battled back and used a 15-2 run capped by a 3-pointer from Coppock to take a 78-69 lead at the five-minute mark
After DU built an 11-point lead, Wiltz and Bruner combined for five-straight points to draw the Bruins to within six at 82-76 with 1:27 remaining.
The Bruins went scoreless the remainder of the contest as the Defenders earned the 87-76 victory.
Bellevue will conclude the tournament on Saturday (Nov. 7) with a 6 p.m. contest against host Northwestern College.