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BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Senior Percy Lemle recorded a career-high 18 points to lead the Bellevue University men's basketball team to a 79-63 victory over Valley City State University Friday night in the Hampton Inn Thanksgiving Classic.
Bellevue improved to 6-2 on the season with the win. VCSU fell to 3-5 overall.
Lemle, who recorded his fifth-straight double-figure performance, finished the night with 18 points, five assists, three rebounds and a blocked shot. Yusuf Shehata registered nine points, three rebounds, and a pair of assists. Alex Worthen-Harris collected eight points, nine rebounds and two assists in the victory.
Riley West led the Vikings with 15 points and five rebounds.
Bellevue went on a 26-9 run over the final nine minutes of the first half to break open a tight contest, taking a 45-28 lead into the break. Eleven different Bruins scored in the opening half, led by Lemle's eight points, five assists, and three rebounds.
BU shot 56 percent in the first half, including 5-of-9 from three-point range, while hold the Vikings to a 35.7 percent shooting effort. The Bruins held a decisive 25-8 advantage in rebounds in the first half. West paced VCSU with eight first-half points.
After a Viking layup by Jayden Ferguson to open the second half, the Bruins went on a 7-0 run to take a 22-point (52-30) lead at the 15:35 mark.
Bellevue built its largest lead at 25 points on a putback by Worthen-Harris with 6:17 to go in the game, giving BU a 69-44 advantage.
The Vikings closed the game on a 19-10 run, as BU missed its final six free throws, making the final, 79-63.
The Bruins hit 55.6 percent (20-of-36) from behind the arc and finished with a commanding 46-25 advantage in rebounds.
Bellevue concludes the tournament on Saturday, Nov. 29 with a 5 p.m. contest against the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
