POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. – The monkey is gone now that the Bellevue University basketball team avenged last year’s Championship loss with a 78-64 victory over Oregon Tech at the 2009 NAIA Men’s Division II National Tournament. Bellevue upset the No. 7 seed Owls shooting 54 percent in the game and out-rebounding their nemesis 42 to 28.
Bellevue defeated Oregon Tech for the first time in the national tournament after losses in the 2004 and 2008 national title games. The Bruins improve to 24-8 overall as OIT will have their season come to a close at 29-6.
Bellevue’s next game will be this Saturday at 1 p.m. against Bethel College (Ind.) in a rematch of last year’s quarterfinal game. The Bruins won 73-69 advancing to the ‘Final-Four’ in 2008. This is Bellevue’s third quarterfinals appearance.
Back and forth the game went through the first 9:30 until the Bruins broke a 16-16 tie on a Davon White 3-pointer. Bellevue would take a 19-17 lead following a Jguwon Hogges free throw from OIT.
Davon White would come through once again at the 3:36 mark when he drained a jumper giving Bellevue their largest lead of the game, 27-22. From that point the Bruins out-scored the Owls 12-5 taking a 34-27 halftime lead. Bellevue was 13-of-28 in the first half making 3-of-8 3-pointers while holding Oregon Tech scoreless from behind the arc (0-for-8).
In the second half at the 17:54 mark the Bruins would extend their lead to as many at 10 points followed by a Jerrod Tucker rebound and put-back.
Bellevue’s defense would come through strong as they held OIT scoreless for 2 minutes taking an 11 point lead (47-36) with 13:30 left.
The Bruins extended their lead to 12 points (49-37) after a Jace Fredenburg (Bellevue, NE) three-pointer in transition after a Kyle Prochaska block on the defensive end. Jerrod Tucker made the margin 14 points (53-39) completing a three-point-play with 11:23 remaining.
Oregon Tech would make a run over the next four minutes getting to within eight points (62-54), but that would be all the closer the Owls would get. Bellevue would hold OIT from scoring for the next four minutes taking a 14-point lead, 70-56.
In the final three minutes, Bellevue and OIT would match points with the Bruins taking home the victory, 78-64. Of the five losses Oregon Tech had entering the tournament; the 64 points would be their third lowest output in a loss this season.
Bellevue improved to 13-9 overall at the national tournament shooting 62 percent in the second half and 54 percent for the game. The Bruins’ defense was solid, the best this year, out-rebounding the Owls by 14 (42-28).
Chicago native, Jerrod Tucker, led the Bruins with 21 points on a proficient 8-of-12 from the field. Tucker was one rebound from a double-double with 9 as he was 5-for-5 at the charity stripe. Davon White, after suffering a facial laceration in the second half, finished with 14 points on 5-of-7 from the field. Ron King (Chicago, IL) added 12 points, 3 assists and 4 rebounds.
Kyle Prochaska, who recorded a double-double in Wednesday’s win over Mount Vernon, was one point away with 9 grabbing 10 rebounds. He has 20 boards for the tournament. Bellevue’s bench scored 13 points compared to 2 of OIT.
The higher-seeded Hustlin’ Owls had a game-high 25 points from Jguwon Hogges on 7-of-19 shooting. Hogges was 2-of-8 in three pointers making a game-high 9-of-12 from the free throw line. Justin Parnell finished with 16 points on 6-of-16 as Christian Cavanaugh had 10 before fouling out.
Bellevue had 36 points in the paint, 14 second chance points and 11 assists in the victory.
