BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The Bellevue University men's basketball team moved into a tie for first place in the North Star Athletic Association standings with a convincing 69-43 victory over visiting Dickinson State University Friday night in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
With the win, the Bruins improved to 12-15 on the season and 7-4 in the NSAA. With one game to play in the regular season, BU is tied for the conference lead with Mayville State University after the Comets fell to Viterbo University, 76-73, Friday night in La Crosse.
DSU dropped to 14-12 overall and 5-6 in league play.
The Bruins were led by Emarr Vinson, who scored a career-high 13 points and grabbed seven rebounds along with two blocks. Jerome Bynum and Liam Thompson poured in nine points apiece, while Christian Carter and Makeem Loudermill chipped in with eight points each.
DC Stewart was the lone BlueHawk in double figures, finishing with 10 points.
DSU shot just 30.6 percent from the field and was held to its lowest point total of the season.
After the Bruins grabbed an early 9-3 lead, hitting four of their first five shots, DISU scored eight straight points, capped by a 3-pointer from Jaiden Wright to gain an 11-9 advantage.
Bellevue answered with a 7-0 run capped by a 3-point play from Bynum to take a 16-11 lead midway through the opening half.
The Bruins built a seven-point lead following a 15-foot jumper by TJ Fritz, making it 23-16 with 5:52 left before the intermission.
Carter's second 3-point play of the first half gave BU a double-digit margin at 29-19 at the 2:24 mark.
The two teams exchanged baskets for the remainder of the half as BU took a 33-24 lead into the halftime break.
Vinson led BU in the first half with seven points and three rebounds. Carter and Bynum chipped in with six points apiece.
The BlueHawks, who shot just 33 percent from the field in the first half, were led by Kose Egbule's four points.
Sparked by four points each from Vinson and Thompson, Bellevue scored the first 10 points of the second half to help BU build a 19-point cushion at 43-24 with 16:26 remaining in the contest.
After a step-back 3-pointer by Bynum gave BU a 21-point margin, two-straight jumpers by Cordell Stinson made it a 17-point game (48-31) at the 12:52 mark.
That was as close as DSU would get as the Bruins cruised to the 69-43 victory.
The Bruins will conclude the regular season on Saturday (Feb. 17) with a 5 p.m. matchup against Valley City State University. Bellevue's two seniors, Makeem Loudermill and Jerome Bynum will be honored in a short ceremony preceding the contest.
