BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Lewis Hayes scored a game-high 24 points to lead the Bellevue University men's basketball team to an 89-78 victory over Dickinson State University Saturday evening in North Star Athletic Association action at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
With the win, the Bruins improved to 21-7 on the season and 11-1 in the NSAA. Dickinson State fell to 9-16 overall and 7-6 in league play.
The 24-points for Lewis was the second-highest total for the junior forward this season. He scored 26 points against the Blue Hawks in BU's 78-75 win on Jan. 10 in Dickinson.
Jemeil King added 17 points, six rebounds, and five assists. Connor Dukes was the third Bruin in double figures, finishing with 14 points along with five steals and a pair of assists.
Kenny Jackson paced the Blue Hawks with 20 points, three boards, and two assists. Donte Walker chipped in with 16 points and four assists.
Both teams were hot from the field in the early going as each squad nailed six of their first 10 shots knotting the score at 16-all with 14 minutes remaining in the first half.
Eight-straight points from Jaylen Wiltz gave the Bruins a 25-16 advantage at the 12-minute mark.
An eight-point BU run expanded the Bruin lead to 33-18 with 9:36 left in the first half and a 3-pointer by Niamey Harris made it 36-20 one minute later.
The Blue Hawks battled back, closing the half on a 14-7 run, trimming the deficit to single digits at 50-41 at the intermission.
The Bruins, who shot 66.7 percent from the field in the opening half, were led by King's 13 points and six rebounds. Hayes added 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.
The Blue Hawks were equally effective in the first half, hitting 61.5 percent of their shots, including a 6-of-9 performance from behind the arc. Walker paced DSU in the opening 20 minutes with 16 points and three assists. Malcohm Hill added 12 points, including three 3-pointers.
DSU used a 7-4 run to open the second half, slicing the lead to six points at 54-48 at the 16:31 mark. The Bruins responded with a seven-point run to push the margin back to double digits at 68-55 with 13 minutes remaining.
Jesse Burns scored four points in a six-point DSU run as the Blue Hawks pulled back to within six (72-66) midway through the second half.
An emphatic dunk by Connor Dukes capped a 5-0 BU spurt to extend the lead back to double-digits at 77-66.
The Blue Hawks never got closer than nine points the rest of the contest as BU recorded its fifth-straight victory with the 89-78 win.
The Bruins will host Mayville State University at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 17 in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
