Posted: Mar 11, 2010
POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. -- The fourth-seeded Bellevue University men's basketball team limited William Jessup to one field goal over the final five minutes while recording an 85-67 first round win at the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship Thursday afternoon at Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks.
The Bruins (26-7) will face 13th-seeded Cedarville University, an 86-77 overtime winner over Warner Pacific, in the second round on Friday (Mar. 12) beginning at 1:45 p.m. William Jessup, champions of the California Pacific Conference Tournament, ended their season at 17-14.
Junior \#Avery Tyler\# led all scorers with 20 points, 16 coming in the second half. He also added a game-high nine rebounds while recording nine of the Bruins' final 16 points. Senior \#Antoine Dade\# added 15 points and six rebounds. Sophomore \#Jelani Johnson\# was the third Bruin in double figures with 11 points, while adding seven rebounds and three assists. Four other Bellevue players scored at least seven points for the balanced Bruins.
Never able to establish complete control, Bellevue grabbed its largest lead of the game at 12 points (67-55) following \#Marcos Perez\#' third 3-pointer of the game with 7:13 remaining in the contest.
The Warriors quickly answered with a 6-0 run, capped by a Kirsten Kadeem 3-pointer to draw them to within six points at 67-61 with 6:33 to go.
The Bruins pushed the lead back to double digits with a 5-1 run following a pair of free throws by Dade to give BU a 72-62 advantage with 4:39 remaining in the game.
After WJU pulled to within single digits twice, Bellevue closed the game on a 10-1 run to secure the 85-67 victory.
Bellevue shot 51.7 percent for the game, including a 57.1 percent (16-of-28) showing after the break. The Bruin defense held the Warriors to 36.8 percent shooting, while maintaining a 37-26 edge in rebounds.
The Bruins raced out to a 15-5 lead in the first eight minutes of the game. WJU, which was making its first-ever appearance in the National Tournament, answered by going on a 20-10 run to tie the game at 25-all with four minutes before intermission. Bellevue closed the half on a 10-6 spurt to take a 35-31 lead at halftime. Sophomore \#Ousseynou Diop\# led BU in the opening half with eight points off the bench.
Sixteen teams remain in the tournament which runs through Tuesday (Mar. 16).
Notes:
- The Bruins are making their eighth-straight appearance in the NAIA Men's Basketball Division II National Tournament.
- Bellevue is 7-4 in first round games
- The Bruins own a 15-10 all-time record in the National Tournament
- Today's win marks Bellevue's fourth-straight first round win.
- After starting the season 3-6, Bellevue has won 23 of its last 24 games.
- The Bruins have won seven-straight since losing at defending national champion Oklahoma Wesleyan, 85-69, on Feb. 6.
