SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- The Bellevue University men's basketball team fell behind early by double digits and could never recover as Baptist Bible College handed the Bruins an 89-79 loss Friday night at the BBC Basketball Classic.
The loss marked the Bruins' fourth-straight defeat as BU fell to 3-4 on the season.
Jonah Brown and Jemeil King paced the BU offense with 18 points apiece. Brown nailed 6-of-10 shots from behind the arc while adding three rebounds. King added four rebounds and four assists. Lewis Hayes was the third Bruin in double figures, finishing with 14 points along with seven rebounds, two steals, and a pair of blocks.
D'Shawn Coleman led five BBC players in double figures, finishing with 19 points and nine rebounds. Tre Minton finished with 18 points after going 4-for-4 from behind the arc. Tre Flowers registered 16 points, four assists, three rebounds, and three steals.
A jumper by Coleman capped a 21-4 BBC run as the Patriots built a 26-8 lead with 9:44 left in the first half. The Bruins got as close as 10 points following a short jumper by Keshawn Bruner, making it 30-20 before BBC pulled away for a 46-33 advantage at halftime.
Bellevue got as close as 10 points early in the second half, but the BBC offense got hot, building a 21 point advantage at 66-45 following a 3-pointer by Kyle Cavanaugh with 12:12 left in the contest.
The Bruins closed the game on a 22-12 run, pulling to within 10 points, making the final, 89-79.
Bellevue will conclude the tournament on Saturday with a 2 p.m. contest against Evangel University.
