JOLIET, Ill. -- Lewis Hayes led four Bruins in double figures as the Bellevue University men's basketball team picked up a 72-64 victory over East-West University Saturday afternoon in the University of St. Francis Thanksgiving Classic being played at the Pat Sullivan Center.
With the victory, Bellevue won its second-straight contest, evening its record at 5-5 on the season.
Hayes finished with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field while adding four rebounds. Jaylen Wiltz added 11 points, three assists, and a pair of rebounds. Jemeil King and Jonah Brown finished with 10 points each as 11 Bruins scored in the victory.
Brandon Daughtry led the Phantoms with 16 points and six boards. Mohamed Jannedi added 14 points and eight rebounds. Rodney Gaston finished with 13 points and five boards.
Despite being outshot in the first half, the Bruins nailed seven 3-pointers to gain a 41-36 advantage at halftime. Brown and King led BU in the opening half with eight points apiece.
Jannedi paced the Phantoms with 11 first-half points thanks to a perfect shooting effort, going 4-for-4 from the field and 1-of-1 from the charity stripe. Jannedi scored all 11 of his points consecutively to cut the BU lead from 13 points to two points midway through the half.
Capped by a 3-pointer from Paulo Araujo, the Bruins scored the first 11 points of the second half to expand the lead to 16 points at 52-36 with 15:24 left in the contest.
A 3-pointer by Vinny Belcaster gave BU its largest lead of the game at 20 points (63-43) with just under nine minutes remaining. The Phantoms responded with seven-straight points over the next two minutes to cut the deficit to 13.
EWU drew to within single digits at 68-60 following a triple by Ben Muth with 1:50 left in the game.
Two free throws by Gaston brought the Phantoms to within six points with 23 ticks remaining before Jaylen Wiltz made the final score, 72-64, after draining two free shots to end the contest.
The Bruins continue action in the tournament on Sunday, when they battle Indiana-South Bend at 3 p.m.
