BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Five Bruins scored in double figures as the Bellevue University men's basketball team opened North Star Athletic Association play with an 85-65 victory over visiting Dakota State University Saturday night in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
With the win, the Bruins improved to 7-4 on the season and 1-0 in the NSAA. DSU fell to 3-6 overall and 0-1 in league play.
Keenami Maggard led BU with 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field. He added six rebounds and three blocks.
Vinny Belcaster and Justin Motley added 15 points apiece.
Paulo Araujo recorded a double-double with 14 points and a game-high 11 rebounds, while adding four assists.
Taylor Pomeroy was the fifth Bruin in double figures, finishing with 14 points. He was 3-for-5 from behind the arc.
Kevin Jones paced the Trojans with 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field.
Deshawn Kelly and Ronnie Latting added 12 points apiece.
The Bruins led the entire first half and a dunk by Motley gave BU a 29-20 lead with four minutes remaining before halftime.
A free throw by Martis Johnson gave BU its first double-digit lead at 35-25 at the 1:37 mark.
After a 3-pointer by Christian Carter gave the Bruins their largest first-half lead at 13 points (38-25), the Trojans ended the period on a 6-2 run as BU took a 40-31 lead heading into the intermission.
Maggard was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field in the opening half, leading BU in scoring with 12 points. Motley went 3-for-3, registering nine points and five rebounds in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Jones paced the Trojans with 11 first-half points.
A 7-0 run capped by a 3-pointer from Pomeroy extended the BU advantage to 16 points at 51-35 with 16:40 left in the game.
After BU built an 18-point cushion (61-43) following a Pomeroy layup, the Trojans got as close as 13 points by using an 8-3 run to make it 64-51 at the eight-minute mark.
That was as close as DSU would get as the Bruins cruised to the 85-65 victory.
Bellevue shot 56.1 percent from the field, going 32-for-57 while connecting on 7-of-16 from long range.
The Bruins will travel to Muskogee, Okla., next Friday, Dec. 9, for a 6 p.m. contest at Bacone College.
