BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Five Mayville State University players scored in double figures as the Comets upset top-seeded and 22nd-ranked Bellevue University, 97-92, Sunday night in the semifinals of the North Star Athletic Association Men's Basketball Tournament being played at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
The Comets (17-10) will take on Dickinson State University in the championship game on Monday night at 7 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. The winner of the title game will advance to the NAIA Division II National Championship on March 7-13 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Dickinson State defeated Viterbo, 82-73, in the first semifinal on Sunday.
Bellevue fell to 21-11 on the season and will await word of its post-season fate when the selections the NAIA National Tournament are announced at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 28.
Daniel Lindgren led the Comets with 19 points and two rebounds. Cameron Epps added 18 points and Gorg Alhag finished with 16 points, eight assists, and six rebounds.
BJ Shelton and Richard Reed each scored 23 points to pace the Bruin offense and Jalen Hall finished with 15 points and four assists.
After a layup by Lindgren gave the Comets an eight-point advantage at 20-12, the Bruins went on a 14-2 run to take a 26-22 lead following an emphatic dunk by Shelton with 11:09 left before intermission.
An eight-point Comet run gave MSU a 35-33 lead at the seven-minute mark of the first half. After the Bruins responded following a layup by Hall that gave BU a three-point cushion, the Comets scored the final 11 points of the half to take a 51-43 lead at the break.
Lindgren led MSU in the first half with 11 points. Reed (14) and Shelton (9) combined for 23 points to lead the BU offense in the opening period.
An 8-2 run to start the second half drew the Bruins to within one point at 53-52 with 17 minutes left in the contest. The Comets countered with a 16-5 spurt over the next six minutes to gain a 69-57 edge. MSU maintained a 12-point margin until the seven-minute mark when a pair of free throws by Hall and a 3-pointer by Connor Dukes pulled BU to within seven points at 77-70 at the 6:33 mark.
A short jumper by Gorg Alhag gave MSU a 10-point cushion at 83-73 at the 2:28 mark and the Comets nailed 12 free throws in the final two minutes to seal the 97-92 victory.
