MAYVILLE, S.D. -- In a battle of the top two teams in the North Star Athletic Association, Mayville State University pulled away in the second half to earn an 88-69 victory over Bellevue University Saturday night at the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse.
With the loss, the Bruins fell to 11-15 on the season and 6-4 in the NSAA. MSU moved into sole possession of first place in the league standings, improving to 19-6 overall and 7-3 in league play.
TJ Fritz led the Bruins with 17 points and two rebounds. Liam Thompson added 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Makeem Loudermill finished with nine points and three boards.
Jamison Kramer paced five Comets in double figures, finishing with 16 points and four rebounds. He was 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. Juan Carlos Canahuate and Thomas Gieske scored 15 points each. Darren Jones finished with 14 points and six rebounds and BJ Woods chipped in with 12 points, four assists, three steals, and two blocks.
The first 10 minutes of the contest featured five ties and eight lead changes, and neither team led by more than three points until a 5-0 Comet run gave MSU a 22-17 lead midway through the opening half.
Kramer scored all eight points in an 8-2 MSU run as the Comets increased the advantage to eight points at 35-27 at the 4:37 mark.
After two straight buckets by Thompson and a layup by Jerome Bynum pulled BU to within three points, the Comets ended the half on a 4-0 run to take a 40-33 lead into the intermission.
Fritz and Thompson led BU in the opening half with seven points apiece. Thompson was 3-of-3 from the field and 1-of-1 from the charity stripe.
Canahuate paced the Comets with nine first-half points. Kramer added eight points and four rebounds.
The Comets opened the second half with two quick 3-pointers to expand the margin to 13 points at 46-33.
Capped by another triple from Kramer, MSU used a 7-0 spurt to extend the Comet advantage to 18 points (58-40) with 13:46 left in the game.
After pulling to within 14 points following jumpers by Nigel Wilson and Caleb Chiang, MSU went on a 6-0 run to expand the margin to 20 points after a jumper by Jones made it 64-44 with 11:29 remaining.
The Bruins pulled to within 14 points following a layup by Fritz, only to see the Comets answer with a 10-3 surge to gain a 21-point advantage (77-56) with five minutes remaining.
Bellevue never got closer than 17 points the remainder of the contest as MSU earned the 88-69 victory.
The Bruins return home next Friday, Feb. 16, when they host Dickinson State University at 7:30 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
