BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The Bellevue University men's basketball team hit 17-of-31 3-point attempts as the Bruins recorded a 91-82 victory over College of the Ozarks Friday night in the first day of action at the Fairfield Inn & Suites Bruin Classic being played at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. Five BU players finished in double figures in the victory.
With the win, Bellevue improved to 10-5 on the season. Ozarks dropped to 5-7 overall.
Amenofis Mitchell led the Bruins with 16 points, hitting 4-of-7 from behind the arc. Connor Dukes finished with 15 pointers on five 3-pointers. Jemeil King added 13 points, six assists, and three rebounds. Isaiah Bates contributed with 12 points, four boards and a pair of steals. Jaron Dickson nearly recorded a double-double, finishing with 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds, to go along with five assists and two steals.
Brandt Cochran nailed seven 3-pointers for the Bobcats, finishing with a game-high 36 points. Klay Barton added 17 points and four rebounds.
Dukes nailed his first three 3-point attempts as the Bruins established an early 16-9 advantage in the first half. Paced by three 3-pointers from Barton, the Bobcats battled back, using a 17-6 run to take a 26-22 lead with 7:19 remaining in the opening period.
A 3-pointer by Mitchell capped a 15-8 BU run as the Bruins pushed ahead, 37-30, at the three-minute mark of the first half.
The two teams traded baskets the remainder of the half as BU took a 47-41 lead at the intermission.
Both teams were hot from 3-point land in the first half. BU hit 11-of-17 3-point attempts while Ozarks was 7-of-11 from behind the arc.
Mitchell led the Bruins in the opening half with 12 points on 4-of-5 3-pointers. Dukes finished the first period with nine points.
Cochran (18) and Barton (13) scored 31 first-half points to pace the CofO offense in the opening 20 minutes.
Sparked by a pair of triples from Dukes, the Bruins opened the second half on a 12-2 run to take a 59-43 advantage with 16 minutes remaining in the contest.
After a 3-pointer by Cochran brought the Bobcats to within 11 points, BU scored seven-straight points to establish an 18-point edge at 75-57 at the 8:46 mark.
Still trailing by 18, the Bobcats used a 14-1 run to narrow the lead to five points at 87-82 with 1:21 left in the game. The Bruins drained four free throws in the final minute to secure the 91-82 victory.
The Bruins will conclude the tournament on Monday (Dec. 30) with a 7 p.m. matchup against Graceland University.
