BARTLESVILLE, Okla. -- The No. 7-ranked Bellevue University men's basketball team defeated Oklahoma Wesleyan University, 62-58, Saturday night in Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference action.
Bellevue, which has now won 10-straight games, improved to 17-4 and 5-0 in league play while Oklahoma Wesleyan fell to 9-11 overall and 2-3 in the MCAC.
James Parrott led BU with 12 points and added five rebounds while Jelani Johnson chipped in 10 points. Blake Zamudio scored 11 points off the bench and Ousseynou Diop recorded 15 rebounds, eight points and four blocks.
BU shot 43.1 percent from the field and held the Eagles to 36.5 percent. OWU held a slight edge in rebounds, 35-31.
Leading 8-7, the Eagles scored the next seven points to take their biggest lead of the half, 15-7, but the Bruins outscored OWU 33-20 the remainder of the half, taking a five-point lead at intermission, 40-35. Zamudio came off the bench to lead BU with nine first-half points, including two three-pointers as the Bruins shot 51.6 percent from the field.
The Bruins opened the second half on a 6-2 run to extend their lead to 46-37, but the Eagles scored the next nine points to cut BU's lead down to 48-46, but they never got any closer as the Bruins led by as many as 10 points. The Eagles made a three-pointer with 3.8 seconds left, to again get within two, 60-58, but Zamudio sank two free throws to secure the four-point win.
Caleb Gentry led the Eagles with 19 points and three assists.
The Bruins will return to the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center on Friday, Jan. 27 to host Central Christian College at 7:00 p.m.
