BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The Doane University men's basketball team pulled away late, scoring the game's final 11 points as the Tigers earned a 69-58 victory over Bellevue University in the final game of the Fairfield Inn Bruin Classic played at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
The loss dropped the Bruins to 5-11 on the season. Doane improved to 5-9 overall.
Nigel Wilson led the Bruins with 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. Raydden Grobe tied a season-high with 11 points. TJ Fritz chipped in with 10 points, four rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals.
Jack Wilson led three Tigers in double figures, finishing with 15 points and nine rebounds. Brady Timm collected 14 points and three assists. Caleb Hrabik scored 14 points and grabbed five boards.
Jack Wilson scored nine early points as the Tigers built a 16-10 lead in the first seven minutes of the contest. The Bruins countered with a 3-pointer by Nigel Wilson and a jumper in the paint by Grobe as time expired on the shot clock to get to within a point at 16-15.
The Tigers closed the half on an 11-5 run to take a 33-26 lead into the intermission.
Nigel Wilson led the Bruins in the opening half with 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.
Jack Wilson paced the Tigers in the first period with nine points and four rebounds.
Despite not hitting a field goal in the first five minutes of the second half, Doane maintained a seven-point lead at 39-32 after going 6-of-6 from the free throw line.
The Bruins used a 10-0 spurt capped by a layup from Wilson to take a 42-39 lead with 11:56 left in the game.
Doane hit its first field goal of the second half, a 3-pointer by Hrabik that tied the contest at 42-all at the 11:41 mark. Hrabik scored eight straight points in a 10-0 DU run as the Tigers gained a 49-42 lead at the 9:29 mark.
BU responded with a 10-5 run to pull to within two points at 54-52, following a jumper in the paint by Emarr Vinson with 5:20 remaining.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Raydden Grobe and Jerome Bynum tied the contest at 58 at the 2:51 mark.
The Tigers nailed 9-of-10 free throws in the final two minutes and used a layup by Timm to pull away for the 69-58 victory. The Bruins missed their final seven shots.
Bellevue will open conference play next Saturday, Jan. 6, when they entertain Dakota State University in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
