WATERTOWN, S.D. -- Despite being held to just 20 second half points the top-seed Bellevue University men's basketball team did enough to hold off fourth-seeded Dickinson State University 63-56 in the North Star Athletic Association semifinals at the Watertown Civic Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Bellevue improves to 19-13 on the year and faces the winner of No. 2-seed Presentation and No. 3-seed Mayville State tomorrow at 4 p.m.in the NSAA Championship game. The winner of that game will earn the NSAA's automatic bid to the NAIA Division II National Tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D.
Dickinson State ends their season with a record of 14-13.
Bellevue sank 5-of-8 free throws in the game's final two minutes and got a tip-in bucket from Justin Bessard as they closed the game on a 7-2 run.
Bellevue raced out to an early 11-2 lead capped by a Richard Reed three-pointer with just 2:54 gone.
Reed hit a jumper to push the Bruin lead to 13 points, 23-10, with 10:13 to go and prompt Dickinson State to burn a timeout.
Sequan Walker gave BU their largest lead of the half, sinking a three-pointer with 2:59 to play, to put Bellevue up 37-21. Connor Dukes matched the largest Bruin lead by draining a triple with 19 seconds left to give BU a 43-27 edge headed into halftime.
Walker and Bessard led all scorers with 10 points apiece in the opening period and Bellevue out-shot Dickinson State 60.0-36.0 percent from the floor.
The Bruins hit on 6-of-11 threes while Dickinson came up empty on their six tries.
Melvin Collins had nine points to lead the Blue Hawks and Kenny Jackson added eight in the first half.
The Blue Hawks came out on fire in the second half, out-scoring BU 15-2 in the first 6:38 to pull to within three points, 45-42. A 6-3 edge over the next 4:02 saw DiSU tie the game at 48-48 but they were unable to complete the comeback and never led.
Down by just a point, 57-56, Donte Walker drove the lane but had his shot swatted by Sequan Walker to keep Bellevue ahead. At the other end Reed missed a reverse lay-up and Bessard put home the tip-in attempt to put BU up 59-56 with just 31.6 seconds to play.
Bessard finished with a game-high 19 points to pace the Bruins with Walker adding a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Jaron Dickson added nine points and Reed chipped in eight.
Jackson led Dickinson with 18 points and Collins finished with 16 and a team-best seven boards. Walker was the third Blue Hawk in double figures with 10 points.
