BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Led by Martis Johnson, the Bellevue University men's basketball team earned a series sweep over Waldorf University, downing the Warriors, 59-48, Saturday night in North Star Athletic Association action at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
With the win, the Bruins improved to 14-9 on the season and 6-3 in the NSAA. Waldorf fell to 6-15 overall and 2-7 in league play.
Johnson finished with 12 points, going 3-of-7 from behind the arc. Paulo Araujo added nine points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Vinny Belcaster chipped in with eight points, four boards, and three assists.
Justin Motley recorded a game-high 11 rebounds while going 3-of-3 from the field for six points.
Khyle Washington paced the Warriors with 13 points and two rebounds. Noah Gwinn added nine points and five rebounds.
Similar to Friday night's contest against Viterbo, neither team could establish control in the early going, with the largest lead for either team being five points, until the Bruins closed the half on a 5-0 run to take a 29-23 lead into the intermission.
The first half featured three ties and one lead change.
Johnson led BU in the opening half with seven points, going 2-for-3 from long range.
Washington paced the Warriors in the first half with 11 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
The Bruins scored the first eight points of the second half to grab a 14-point lead at 37-23 with 15:31 remaining in the contest.
Waldorf did not score until five minutes into the second half on a free throw by Tyree'on Johnson.
A five-point BU run extended the margin to 20 points at 44-24 at the 13:46 mark.
A monstrous dunk by Keenami Maggard made it 46-25 with 12:51 left in the game.
The Warriors did not record a field goal in the second half until seven-and-a-half minutes into the period.
An 8-1 WU run drew the Warriors to within 13 points at 51-38 as BU went without a field goal for nearly four minutes.
After four-straight points by Araujo gave the Bruins a 17-point lead, the Warriors battled back with their own 4-0 run to make it a 13-point contest at 57-44 at the 1:34 mark.
A pair of free throws by Fredery Cuello made the final, 59-48.
The Bruins will host league-leader Mayville State University on Friday, Feb. 3, at 5:30 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
