BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Junior BJ Shelton scored 18 points to lead the 19th-ranked Bellevue University men's basketball team to a 73-55 victory over Mayville State University Saturday night in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
The Bruins moved to within a half a game of the league lead, improving to 17-8 on the season and 9-3 in the NSAA. The Comets fell to 8-15 overall and 1-12 in conference play.
Shelton finished 8-of-11 from the field and added eight rebounds. Nick Hilton added 15 points all on 3-pointers, while registering six rebounds and three assists. Blake Wilder finished 5-for-5 from the field, recording 14 points and eight boards. Jalen Hall was the fourth Bruin in double figures, chipping in 11 points.
Eric Staebler was the lone Comet in double figures, finishing with 18 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
With the Bruins clinging to a one-point lead, three-straight 3-pointers by Hilton highlighted a 20-8 run to close the half as BU took a 41-28 lead into the intermission.
Hilton led BU in the opening half with nine points, while Wilder and Shelton chipped in eight points apiece. The Bruins nailed seven triples in the first half, compared to just one for the Comets.
Bellevue scored the first eight points of the second half to open up a 21-point advantage. The BU defense held MSU without a field goal for the first six minutes of the second period.
Two-straight jumpers by Staebler drew the Comets to within 13 points (60-47) with six minutes left in the game. That was as close as MSU could get as the Bruins nailed four free throws in the final minute to secure the 73-55 victory.
The Bruins will host Valley City State University on Friday, Feb. 10, beginning at 7:30 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
