BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The Bellevue University men's basketball team hit 6-of-7 shots in overtime, including a pair of 3-pointers, as the Bruins upset No. 17-ranked College of the Ozarks, 86-77, to conclude play in the Fairfield Inn and Suites Bruin Classic Saturday afternoon at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
With the win, the Bruins improved to 7-10 in the season. The Bobcats fell to 12-4 overall with the loss. It marked the first overtime contest for BU since Feb. 17, 2017, when Dakota State defeated BU, 84-77 in overtime.
Sequan Walker (24) and Justin Bessard (22) combined for 46 points to lead the Bruin offense. Walker added seven rebounds and two assists in the victory. Bessard went 7-of-11 from the field and 6-of-6 from the line while adding four boards as BU held a 37 to 25 edge in total rebounds.
All five BU starters scored in double figures. Jaron Dickson registered 13 points and seven rebounds. Richard Reed provided 12 points, four rebounds and three assists. Connor Dukes finished with 10 points along with three rebounds.
Ethan Davidson led four Bobcats in double figures, finishing with a game-high 27 points, to go with four assists and three rebounds.
Neither team could establish control in the first half with the largest lead for either squad being seven points. Davidson scored 17 points in the opening 20 minutes as the Bobcats held a narrow 41-38 advantage at halftime.
Dukes led BU in the first half with 10 points, going 4-for-4 from the field including a pair of triples. Bessard added nine points and a rebound.
The Bruins outshot Ozarks, 55.2 to 53.3 percent in the opening half and both teams grabbed 14 rebounds.
The two teams traded baskets for the first 11 minutes of the second half and Dickson scored four-straight points to give BU its first lead of the game at 53-52 with 9:07 remaining in the contest.
The largest lead for either team in the second half was four points. Reed scored four-straight points to give BU a 71-69 advantage with 44 seconds left in the contest. After a layup by Brandt Cochran tied the game at 71-71, Walker's 3-point attempt rattled in-and-out at the buzzer to push the game into overtime.
The Bruins scored the first eight points of overtime, sparked by 3-pointers from Dickson and Bessard, to take a 79-71 lead with 2:46 left in overtime. The Bobcats never got closer than four points the remainder of the contest, as BU registered the nine-point overtime victory.
The win marked BU's first victory over a ranked opponent this season.
The Bruins will resume conference play when they host Dickinson State at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 4, in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
