BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Cold shooting and turnovers plagued the Bellevue University women's basketball team as College of St. Mary defeated the Bruins, 72-59, Friday afternoon at the Bellevue University Fairfield Inn & Suites Holiday Classic.
The Bruins, who lost to CSM, 77-47, on Nov. 9 in Omaha, fell to 9-8 on the season. The Flames improved to 4-10 overall.
Bellevue, which shot 32.8 percent from the field and committed 23 turnovers, was led by Ryleigh McCartney's 12 points, three assists, and two rebounds. She was the lone Bruin in double figures. Caletria Curtis added nine points, a game-high 11 rebounds, and three steals. Shanae Collins finished with eight points, two assists, and a steal.
Ashley Nelson (20), Shelby Allbery (14), and Peyton Hagen (11) combined for 45 points to lead the Flame offense.
Bellevue shot 30 percent in the first quarter and committed eight turnovers as the Flames took a 14-10 advantage after the opening stanza.
CSM scored the first four points of the second quarter to open up an eight-point lead and extended the margin to 12 points following a layup by Nelson, making it 29-17 with 3:21 left in the second frame. The Bruins responded with an 8-3 run to end the half as the Flames took a 32-25 lead into the intermission.
The Bruins, who shot 23.5 percent from the field in the second quarter, were led by Curtis' seven points and nine rebounds in the first half.
The Flames were led by Nelson's eight points and three boards in the opening half.
An 11-3 CSM run increased the Flame lead to 14 points at 49-35 with just over two minutes left in the third quarter, before the visitors settled for a 51-39 advantage entering the final quarter.
After CSM took a 16-point lead early in the fourth, the Bruins sliced the lead to single digits following a 7-0 run, making it 56-47 with 6:40 remaining. The Flames quickly responded with 10-straight points to push the lead to 19 points (66-47) at the 4:11 mark, before securing the 72-59 victory.
The Bruins will resume conference action on Saturday, Jan. 7 when they travel to Mayville, N.D. for a 3 p.m. contest against Mayville State University.
