RICHMOND, Ind. -- Jalen Hall scored 17 points and grabbed four rebounds but the fourth-ranked Bellevue University men's basketball team lost to No. 3 St. Francis (Ind.) 77-51 on Thursday evening in the first round of the First Bank Richmond Classic, hosted by IU-East.
With the loss, their third-straight, Bellevue falls to 3-3 overall while St. Francis improves to 3-2.
Despite shooting just 2-of-11 from three in the first half, a 56.7 percent shooting effort from the field saw St. Francis take a 36-26 lead into halftime. The Cougars were led by Bryce Lienhoop's team-leading eight first half leading eight points while BJ Shelton matched his output with eight of his own and Hall added seven.
Bellevue trailed by nine at the 16:04 mark of the second half but a 16-2 Cougar run over in a span of just 3:52 saw St. Francis stretch their lead to 23 points at 57-34 with just 11:09 to play and effectively put the game away.
Hall was the lone Bruin in double figures while Richard Reed and Shelton each scored eight for Bellevue who shot just 33.9 percent from the floor and 21.4 percent from beyond the arc.
Lienhoop recorded a double-double, including game-highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds, to lead the Cougars. Derek Hinen joined him in double figures with 11 points while Chandler White and Hunter Hollowell each contributed nine points to the winning cause.
Bellevue returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 11 with a 6 p.m. tip-off against (RV) Washington Adventist University in the consolation game of the First Bank Richmond Classic.
