Bruins Open Season with 93–63 Win Over Haskell

Box Score
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BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The Bellevue University men's basketball team opened its 2025–26 campaign with a 93–63 victory over Haskell Indian Nations University on Friday evening at the BU Fieldhouse. The contest, part of the Chick-fil-A Classic hosted by Bellevue, concluded the first day of the four-team event after Central Methodist defeated Hastings, 95–78, in the opener. With the win, the Bruins improved to 1–0 on the season while the Indians fell to 0–1.

Ahamad Bynum led four Bruins in double figures with 21 points and six rebounds. Jaden Phillips followed with 19 points and four assists, converting 12-of-13 free-throw attempts. Connor Mohr added 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting from three-point range, while RJ Smith finished with 10 points and four rebounds. Jake Lenagh contributed a game-high 10 rebounds, four assists, and three steals, and Liam Thompson added nine boards and four blocks.

BU shot 44.1 percent from the field and 41.2 percent (14-of-34) from three-point range while holding Haskell to 33.8 percent overall and 28.0 percent (7-of-25) from beyond the arc. The Bruins outrebounded the Indians 50–37 and forced 18 turnovers that led to 24 points.

Haskell was led by Jesse White, who scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Nehemiah Boykins added 20 points and eight boards, while Robert Bates chipped in 10 points for the Indians.

The Bruins grabbed control early, using a 12–2 run midway through the first half to build a double-digit lead. Mohr hit consecutive threes to give BU a 28–14 advantage with 8:02 left before halftime. Phillips scored seven of his 11 first-half points over the final four minutes, including five straight free throws, as Bellevue took a 49–37 lead into the break.

Haskell opened the second half with a basket to trim the margin to 10, but BU quickly responded with a 10–1 run. Bynum's pull-up jumper at the 18:02 mark sparked the stretch, and Phillips capped it with two free throws to extend the Bruins' lead to 59–40 with 15:20 remaining. Bellevue's defense tightened during that span, holding the Indians without a field goal for nearly five minutes.

The Bruins continued to pull away midway through the period, as Mohr's sixth triple of the night pushed the lead to 30 points at 83–53 with 7:20 left to play. Thompson controlled the paint down the stretch, collecting three rebounds and a block during a two-minute sequence that helped seal the outcome. BU led by as many as 31 before closing out the 93–63 victory to begin the season on a strong note.

Up Next: The Bruins will conclude the tournament on Saturday with a 4:30 p.m. contest against Hastings College inside the BU Fieldhouse.