Bruins heat up in 39-point win over Tigers

Box Score
BU Basketball Classic
NSAA Standings

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- After a sluggish start, the Bellevue University men's basketball team heated up while registering a decisive 76-37 victory over visiting Doane University in the Bruins' opening day of action at the Bellevue University Basketball Classic Friday afternoon in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. 

The Bruins improved to 3-0 on the season with the victory. Doane suffered its first loss, falling to 2-1 overall. 

Jonah Brown led three Bruins in double figures, finishing with 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting from behind the arc. Paulo Araujo added a season-high 13 points while hitting 3-of-6 3-point attempts. Michael Wright also nailed three 3-pointers, finishing with 11 points and five rebounds. Jemeil King, who was just 1-of-4 from the field, finished the game with a career-high 10 assists. 

The Bruins hit 17 3-pointers in the victory and were 26-of-52 from the field.

The Tigers, who were led by Anthony Laravrie's 13 points, shot just 25.5 percent from the field and were 19 percent (4-of-21) from behind the arc. No other Tiger scored more than four points. 

The Bruins used an 11-point run late in the first half to break open a tight contest, taking a 30-16 lead following a layup by Justin Motley with 2:47 left in the opening period.  

Bellevue scored the final four points of the first half, capped by an emphatic dunk by Motley to give the Bruins a 34-17 lead at the break. 

Lewis Hayes, Motley, and Jaylen Wiltz led the Bruins in the opening 20 minutes with six points apiece. Keshawn Bruner and Matt Blaney added five points each. 

The Tigers, who shot just 26.1 percent from the field in the first half, were led by Laravie's seven points. DU hit 2-of-9 shots from behind the arc in the first half. 

Four-consecutive 3-pointers by Brown pushed the BU lead to 28 points at 54-26 with 12:16 left in the contest. 

Araujo and Wright scored five points each and another 3-pointer from Brown capped a 13-point BU run, pushing the Bruin advantage to 40 points at 67-27 at the 7:47 mark. The Bruin defense held the Tigers scoreless for nearly six minutes during the run.

Doane did not get closer than 37 points the remainder of the contest as BU cruised to the 76-37 victory. 

The Bruins will wrap up play in the tournament on Saturday (Oct. 31) with a 1 p.m. matchup against Briar Cliff University (1-1).