BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Junior TJ Fritz scored 17 points to lead the Bellevue University men's basketball team to a 67-57 victory over Waldorf University Friday night in North Star Athletic Association action in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
With the win, the Bruins improved to 7-13 on the season and 2-2 in the NSAA.
Waldorf fell to 6-11 overall and 1-2 in league play.
Fritz was 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Jerome Bynum added 10 points, three rebounds, and a pair of assists.
Ugo Ejiofor paced the Warriors, recording a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
The Bruins used an 8-0 run to erase an early four-point deficit, gaining a 13-9 advantage following a 3-pointer by Jaden Phillips at the 12:53 mark of the first half. After a 3-pointer by Fritz extended the BU lead to five points, the Warriors battled back, using layups by Joshua Woods and Gabriel Sorensen to slice the margin to one point at 20-19 with 7:48 left in the first.
After a 10-3 BU run, a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer by Noah Miller made it 30-25 in favor of the Bruins at the halftime break.
Fritz led BU in the first half with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field. Phillips, Bynum, and Emarr Vinson each chipped in with five points in the opening half.
Ejiofor paced the Warriors in the first half with seven points and five rebounds.
After Waldorf opened the second half with a layup by Ejiofor to cut the lead to three, the Bruins hit two 3-pointers to spark an 8-0 run, extending the lead to double digits at 38-27 with 16 minutes left in the game.
A 5-0 WU spurt reduced the lead to eight points at 42-34 following a contested jumper in the paint by Justin Wiggins at the 12:17 mark.
A dunk by Ejiofor sparked a 6-0 Warrior run, making it a five-point contest at 47-42 with 7:51 remaining.
After a 3-pointer by Miller drew Waldorf to within four points, the Bruins went on an 8-0 spurt capped by back-to-back triples from Bynum and Raydden Grobe to push the margin to 12 points (57-45) at the 5:29 mark.
The Warriors got as close as eight points following a 3-point play by Khyle Washington before the Bruins nailed five-of-seven free throws in the final 1:45 to seal the 67-57 victory.
The Bruins will host Viterbo University tomorrow (Jan. 20) in a 5 p.m. NSAA battle in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
