POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. -- For the second-straight season, the University of Saint Francis (Ind.) ended the Bellevue University men's basketball team's season in the second round of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament, pulling off a 61-58 victory on Friday in Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of the College of the Ozarks.
Bellevue, which made its 10th-straight appearance at the national tournament, ends its season with a 28-6 record.
The Bruins were led by Austin Bowen, who scored 13 points off the bench. Richard Shepherd and James Parrott added 12 points apiece. Jelani Johnson finished with eight points and four assists and Ousseynou Diop contributed with eight points and six rebounds.
Scott Kohne (18) and Q Owens (17) combined for 35 points to pace the Cougars.
USF used a 15-point first-half run to grab a 19-7 lead at the nine-minute mark, as the Cougars held BU scoreless for over six minutes. The Cougars built a 34-19 halftime advantage as Bellevue shot just 30 percent from the field in the opening half, including a 1-of-8 performance from behind the 3-point arc.
A steal and breakaway dunk by James Parrott capped a 13-4 Bruin run that cut the deficit to 38-32 at the 13-minute mark. Bellevue cut the lead to one at 48-47 on a 3-pointer by Shepherd with 7:42 remaining in the game. Bowen completed a 3-point play as the Bruins knotted the game at 50-50 at the six-minute mark.
After the Bruins built a four-point advantage at 54-50, the Cougars went on a seven-point run to grab a 57-54 lead with 2:20 left in the contest.
Trailing 59-58 with 13 seconds remaining, Parrott missed a pair of free throws and Owens countered three seconds later by nailing two free throws to give the Cougars a 61-58 lead at the 10-second mark. The Bruins failed to get a shot off as time expired.
Notes:
- The Bruins made their 10th-straight appearance in the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Tournament.
- Bellevue is 5-4 in second round games
- The Bruins own a 19-13 all-time record in the National Tournament
- Bellevue lost to Saint Francis, 76-74, in the second round last season.
- Head coach Shane Paben is 7-4 in National Tournament games
- The loss snapped the Bruins' nine-game winning streak
