Box Score
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BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The second-seeded Bellevue University women's basketball team closed the game on a 13-1 run to pull away from seventh-seeded Dakota State University, 65-49, in the opening round of the North Star Athletic Association Tournament Tuesday night at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. 

The Bruins (21-9, 11-3 NSAA) advance to the NSAA Tournament semifinals where they will meet No. 3-seeded Valley City State University (14-13, 10-4 NSAA) at the Civic Arena in Watertown, S.D. at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 23. Dakota State ends its season with a 4-25 record. 

The winner of the NSAA Tournament will receive an automatic berth to the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa on March 6-12. 

Elexis Martinez led the Bruins with her team-leading sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 16 points and 13 rebounds. Shayla Dean added 12 points, six rebounds, and four steals. Jamie Winkler finished with 12 points and a career-high seven assists. Morgan Cuffe was the fourth Bruin in double figures, scoring 12 points to go along with five boards. 

Ashlyn MacDonald paced the Trojans with 14 points and six rebounds. Jessi Giles chipped in with 12 points and four boards.  

In a fast-paced first quarter, the Trojans shot 57.1 percent from the field and the Bruins committed six turnovers as DSU took a 21-17 lead after the opening 10 minutes. MacDonald scored 11 in the first behind 3-of-4 shooting from behind the arc. Martinez went 4-for-4 in the opening quarter, scoring eight points and grabbing three rebounds. 

The Bruins opened the second quarter on a 10-2 run to take a 27-23 lead with 6:31 remaining before intermission. The two teams traded baskets over the next six minutes before Winkler and Dean drained jumpers in the final minute to give BU a 38-30 advantage at halftime. The Bruins outscored DSU, 21-9, in the second frame. 

Dean led BU in the opening half with nine points and three rebounds. Martinez added eight points and six boards. MacDonald paced the Trojans with 11 first-half points but was held scoreless in the second quarter.  

After a 3-pointer by Dean gave BU its first double-digit lead of the game at 43-31 with 8:14 left in the third, the Trojans scored the next 10 points, holding the Bruins scoreless for over seven minutes and without a field goal the remainder of the quarter. BU was outscored in the third, 11-6, as the Bruins took a narrow, 44-41 lead heading into the final frame. 

The Bruins scored the first six points of the fourth quarter, sparked by a pair of buckets by Cuffe to give BU a 50-41 lead with 7:13 left in the contest. DSU responded with five-straight points capped by a triple from MacDonald to slice the BU advantage to four points at 52-48 at the 3:51 mark. 

Four-consecutive points by Martinez and buckets by Cuffe and Winkler pushed the margin back to double digits (60-48) with 1:23 remaining in the game.   

The Bruins drained 5-of-6 free throws in the final minute to seal the 65-49 victory.