BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Megan Kucks scored 29 points to lead Midland University to a 75-68 victory over Bellevue University in the BU Fairfield Inn & Suites Holiday Classic Thursday afternoon at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
The Bruins, who lost to Midland, 69-48 on Nov. 5 in Fremont, fell to 9-7 on the season. Midland improved to 10-4 overall.
Caletria Curtis led the Bruins with 18 points and nine rebounds. Sierra Roberts added 11 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Cassidy Hubbs finished with nine points and a school-record five blocked shots.
Kucks was 20-for-20 from the free throw line, while also adding four rebounds and three assists. Kucks, Joelle Overkamp (19), and Miranda Paul (10) scored 58 of Midland's 75 points.
Both teams shot under 25 percent in the first quarter as the Warriors took a slim 10-9 lead after the opening 10 minutes of play. The Bruins scored the first five points of the second quarter to grab a 14-10 advantage with 7:51 left before halftime. An 8-0 run capped by a 3-pointer from Roberts extended the margin to 10 points at 22-12 at the six-minute mark.
After a jump shot by Hubbs pushed the margin to 14 points, MU closed the half on a 10-0 run as BU took a 28-24 lead into the intermission.
Curtis led the Bruins in the first half with nine points and three rebounds. Hubbs contributed with seven points and two blocked shots. Kucks paced the Warriors with nine points and a pair of boards.
After Curtis scored the first four points of the second half, MU went on a 10-2 run tie the contest at 34-34 with 5:49 remaining in the third quarter. The Warriors used an 11-7 run to close the third quarter, taking a 51-47 edge into the fourth stanza.
The Warriors hit three 3-pointers in the first five minutes of the fourth quarter, using an 11-2 run to extend the lead to 62-51 with 4:21 remaining in the game. The Bruins responded with five-straight points to get to within six points at 66-60 with 2:27 remaining.
Four-straight points by Roberts cut the Warrior lead to two points at 66-64 with 1:36 left in the contest. That was as close as BU could get as Kucks nailed five free throws in the final 30 seconds to seal the 75-68 victory.
The Bruins will conclude the tournament on Friday, Dec. 30, with a 3 p.m. contest against College of St. Mary.
