LA CROSSE, Wis. -- Coming off their first conference loss of the season, the Bellevue University men's basketball team hit at a 60 percent clip from the floor to defeat Viterbo University 73-65 on Saturday afternoon in North Star Athletic Association play inside the R.W. Beggs Sr. Gymnasium.
Records:
Bellevue: 17-7 (7-1 NSAA)
Viterbo: 10-12 (4-5 NSAA)
Recap: Bellevue 73, Viterbo 65
Jemeil King scored 21 points, grabbed five boards, dished out six assists, and swiped four steals to put the Bruins back on the winning track after the team suffered their first NSAA setback of the season on Friday night.
Much of the first half was closely contested until Bellevue used an 11-2 run over a span of 4:39 to turn a 28-26 edge into an 11-point advantage with 3:12 seconds to play in the first half.
After the V-Hawks out-scored BU 7-5 for the remainder of the half, Bellevue took a 44-35 lead into the locker room.
King had 18 of his game-high 21 points in the first half without missing a shot, hitting on all six attempts from the field and each of his three free throws.
Bellevue kept the V-Hawks at arm's length out of the break as Viterbo was chasing a double figure deficit much of the second half.
BU led by as many as 16 points with 4:02 to play but scored just two points the rest of the way as they withstood a 10-2 Viterbo charge to close the game.
Connor Dukes joined King in double figures with 12 points to go along with five assists. Amenofis Mitchell added nine points off the bench and Niamey Harris scored eight in the win.
Noah Fredrickson scored 13 to lead three V-Hawks in double figures. Tyree Young added 11 points – all coming in the first half – and hauled in a game-high seven rebounds while Robert Cunitz scored 10 for the home side.
Up Next:
Bellevue wraps up their regular-season road slate next weekend. The Bruins travel to Mayville State University for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off on Friday (Feb. 7) and conclude the weekend at Presentation College on Saturday (Feb. 8) with a 5 p.m. start time.
