BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The Bellevue University men's basketball team shot just 43.1 percent from the field and committed 13 turnovers as visiting Dickinson State University picked up a 70-62 victory over the Bruins Friday night in North Star Athletic Association action at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
The loss dropped the Bruins to 9-7 on the season and 1-1 in the NSAA. DSU improved to 5-10 overall and 1-1 in league play.
The Bruins did not hit a 3-point shot in the game, going 0-for-12 from behind the arc.
Justin Motley led the Bruins after recording his second double-double of the season, finishing with 19 points and 14 rebounds.
Vinny Belcaster added 18 points, three rebounds, and a pair of assists. Paulo Araujo was the third Bruin in double figures, scoring 12 points in the loss.
Kose Egbule paced the Blue Hawks with 15 points, three assists, and two rebounds. Gus Wright added 12 points, going 5-of-10 from the field.
A dunk by Wright gave the Blue Hawks their largest lead of the first half at 33-19 as DSU went on a 17-7 run. BU battled back to within single digits at 34-25 following a layup by Araujo that completed a 6-1 BU spurt.
After a layup by Keenami Maggard made it a nine-point contest, the Blue Hawks ended the half with a layup by John Evans at the buzzer to give DSU a 38-27 lead heading into the intermission.
A pair of free throws by Motley capped an 8-2 BU run to open the second half as the Bruins pulled to within five points at 40-35 at the 15:42 mark.
After the Blue Hawks built another 10-point cushion, the Bruins got to within four points, highlighted by a 3-point play from Motley that made it 50-46 with 9:15 remaining in the game.
The two teams traded five-point runs, and a layup by Belcaster made it 59-55 with 1:41 left in the contest. That was as close as BU would get as the Blue Hawks drained six-straight free throws in the final 43 seconds to preserve the 70-62 victory.
The Bruins will entertain Valley City State on Saturday (Jan. 7) at 5 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
