SAN JUAN, P.R. -- After leading by as many as 16 points the Bellevue University men's basketball team had to withstand a furious second half comeback bid to defeat the University of Sacred Heart 75-66 on Tuesday afternoon at the Coliseo Mario Morales in the Puerto Rico Clasico.
With the win, Bellevue improves to 9-5 on the year. The Bruin take a four-game win streak into their next game.
Recap: Bellevue 75, Sacred Heart 66
Bellevue was in control of the game throughout the first half, leading by double figures for the majority of the opening period.
The Bruins shot 62.5 percent from the floor and 63.6 percent (7-11) in the first 20 minutes as they built a 43-31 halftime lead.
Bellevue stretched their lead to a game-high 16 points with 17:05 to go in the second half but Sagrado Corazon fought back to cut the deficit to just five points in the final minutes.
Turnovers kept USC in the game as they forced Bellevue in 21 turnovers while committing just 11 of their own, which they turned into a 32-21 advantage at the offensive end.
The Bruins out-shot USC 51.1-40.0 from the floor and hit on 50 percent (13-26) of their three-pointers to Sagrado Corazon's 31.3 percent (5-16) effort.
Connor Dukes led four Bruins in double figures with 17 points. Jemeil King added 13 points while Lewis Hayes and Jaron Dickson each tossed in 11 in the victory.
Luis Cortijo scored a game-high 25 points on 7-of-12 shooting for USC. Jay Rosado joined him in double figures with 12 points and Melvin Millet hauled in a game-high 10 boards.
Bellevue out-rebounded Sagrado Corazon 32-30 with six players grabbing at least four boards. Lewis Hayes led the way for BU with six rebounds.
Head Coach Lucas Gabriel:
"That was a big win for our program against an extremely athletic Division II-caliber team! I was really proud of our guys; that was a physical team and we showed great mental toughness to pull out that win!"
Up Next:
Bellevue hosts the Fairfield Inn & Suites Bruin Classic on Sunday-Monday, Dec. 29-30. The Bruins will face College of the Ozarks (Sunday, 7 p.m.) and Graceland University (Monday, 7 p.m.) in the Classic.
