Posted: Jan 25, 2011
MCAC Standings
BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Sophomore James Parrott led five Bruins in double figures with 17 points as the 10th-ranked Bellevue University men's basketball team reached the century mark for the second time this season, scoring a 102-68 victory over Peru State Tuesday night at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
With the win, the Bruins moved into a tie for first place in the MCAC standings at 4-1, while improving to 17-4 overall. Peru State slipped to 5-15 on the season and 1-4 in league play. Bellevue is tied with Oklahoma Wesleyan (19-2, 4-1) and Central Christian (15-3, 4-1) atop the conference standings.
Parrott was 7-of-8 from the field, including a 3-of-4 performance from behind the arc. Also in double figures for the Bruins were Jeremy Arrington (15), Ousseynou Diop (13), Donald Jones (13), and Eugene Bain (10). Bain also added a game-high eight rebounds.
The Bobcats were led by Derrick Williams with 16 points and Jovan Hitch with 11 points.
The Bruins hit 3 of 5 three-pointers in the first 10 minutes of the game to gain a 20-11 advantage midway through the period. Bellevue earned a 13-point advantage (32-19) following three-pointers by Cruise and Parrott and a layup from Diop at the 6:19 mark.
The Bobcats climbed back to within eight (32-24) after five-straight points from Hitch. After a three-pointer from Andrew Staudt brought Peru to within seven points at the 2:47 mark, BU closed the period on a 7-2 run to gain a 45-33 halftime lead.
Diop led the Bruins in the opening half with nine points and four rebounds.Parrott added eight points and Johnson scored seven as the Bruins shot 50 percent from the field. Hitch and Hart paced the Bobcats with seven points apiece.
A 7-0 run early in the second half forced a Peru timeout as Bellevue took a 20-point (54-34) lead with 16:48 remaining in the game. The two teams traded baskets over the next eight minutes until the Bruins pulled away with a 5-0 run to lead 75-50 at 7:49. Peru immediately responded with their own five-point spurt to pull back to within 20 points (75-55) with 7:10 remaining in the contest.
A Parrott layup and a three-pointer from Arrington capped a 10-2 Bruin run as BU built a commanding 89-62 advantage at the 3:39 mark. Bellevue closed the game on a 13-2 run in cruising to the 102-68 victory.
The Bruins will host fourth-ranked Oklahoma Wesleyan on Friday, Jan. 28, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. The game will be broadcast live on Victory Sports Network.
