FREMONT, Neb. -- Senior Eric Pierce scored a season-high 22 points to lead four Bruins in double figures as the Bellevue University men's basketball team recorded a 73-66 victory over Mount Marty College Saturday afternoon in the first game of the Draemel Classic at the Wikert Event Center on the Midland University campus.
With the win, the Bruins improved to 6-4 on the season. Mount Marty fell to 3-8 overall.
Pierce hit 4-of-7 from behind the arc while adding five rebounds and three steals in the victory.
Paulo Araujo drilled three triples, finishing with 15 points and five boards. Vinny Belcaster added 14 points and five rebounds. Justin Motley was the fourth Bruin in double figures, collecting 11 points along with seven rebounds and a pair of blocks.
Nick Coleman came off the bench to lead the Lancers with 17 points and four assists. Tyrell Harper recorded a double-double, finishing with 14 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Neither team could establish control in the early going until an 8-0 BU run capped by consecutive 3-pointers from Araujo and Pierce gave the Bruins a 25-17 advantage with 6:35 remaining before halftime.
The two teams traded baskets for the next six minutes until Pierce drained three free throws with one second remaining before the break, giving BU a 38-25 halftime advantage.
Pierce led BU in the first half with 11 points and a pair of rebounds. Araujo added eight points and three boards. Motley finished the opening half with six points and five rebounds.
The Lancers were led in the first half by Coleman's nine points and two rebounds.
BU outshot MMC, 51.9 to 36.7 percent, and held a 20-12 advantage in total rebounds in the opening 20 minutes of play.
After a 3-pointer by Pierce gave the Bruins a 17-point cushion, the Lancers scored six-straight points to pull to within 11 at 56-45 midway through the second half.
Another triple by Pierce gave BU a 15-point lead at 60-45 before MMC went on an 8-0 spurt to make it a single-digit contest at 60-53 at the six-minute mark.
Layups by Allen Wilson and Coleman and a steal and a layup by Coleman drew the Lancers to within two points (63-61) with 3:09 remaining in the contest.
Sparked by a 3-point play from Motley, the Bruins held the Lancers scoreless for the next two-and-a-half minutes as BU took a 68-63 lead before holding on for the 73-66 victory, ending the game on a 10-5 run.
The Bruins will conclude the tournament with a 3 p.m. matchup on Sunday (Nov. 27) against host school Midland University.
