BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Six Bruins scored in double figures as the Bellevue University men's basketball team cruised to a 100-40 victory over visiting Union College Saturday night in non-conference action at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
The win improved the Bruins to 3-8 on the season. Union fell to 3-5 overall.
The 60-point win marked the largest margin of victory in the Lucas Gabriel era.
Jaden Phillips led the Bruins with 18 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals. Christian Carter added 17 points on 3-of-5 shooting from long range. Nigel Wilson produced 14 points, four assists, and three steals. Raydden Grobe, Jerome Bynum, and Caleb Chiang finished with 11 points apiece.
Blake Essex was the lone Warrior in double figures, finishing with 12 points and seven boards.
The Bruins forced 35 Union turnovers, as BU scored 53 points off of Warrior miscues.
Bellevue scored the first 12 points of the contest and forced six early Union turnovers in building a 16-2 advantage. A 3-pointer by Josh Kerongo helped the Warriors battle back to within nine points at 19-10 midway through the opening half.
BU went on a 12-3 run, including back-to-back 3-pointers by Chiang to gain a 31-13 edge with 6:22 left in the first. Union responded with a 9-2 run to pull to within 11 points at 33-22 at the 3:30 mark.
The Bruins scored the final 12 points of the half to take a 45-22 lead into the intermission. BU scored 22 points off of Union turnovers in the opening half.
Bynum led BU in the first half with nine points, two assists, and two steals. Makeem Loudermill, Chiang, and Wilson scored eight points each.
Kerongo paced the Warriors in the first half with six points.
After Blake Essex started the second half with a pair of free throws, the Bruins reeled off 31 straight points as BU took a commanding 76-24 lead, holding the Warriors scoreless for over 10 minutes.
Union never got closer than 44 points the remainder of the contest as BU cruised to the 100-40 victory.
The Bruins will be idle until Tuesday, Dec. 12, when they entertain York College in a 7 p.m. non-conference contest at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
