BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The Bellevue University men's basketball team shot 54.5 percent from the field and hit 14 3-pointers en route to a convincing 82-49 victory over visiting Viterbo University Saturday night in North Star Athletic Association action at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
With the win, the Bruins improved to 8-13 on the season and 3-2 in the NSAA. Viterbo dropped to 6-13 overall and 0-4 in league play.
TJ Fritz led Bellevue with 19 points and five rebounds. He was 5-of-10 from beyond the arc. Caleb Chiang added 14 points on 4-of-8 shooting from 3-point land.
Nigel Wilson produced 12 points, eight boards, and six blocked shots in the win. Emarr Vinson was the fourth Bruin in double figures, finishing with 11 points along with nine rebounds and four assists.
Jack Monis was the lone V-Hawks in double figures, finishing with a game-high 22 points along with seven rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals.
Two 3-pointers by Fritz sparked an 8-2 BU run, giving the Bruins a 19-11 lead midway through the first half. A dunk by Wilson sparked a 7-0 Bruin spurt, extending the margin to 14 points at 28-14 with 6:09 left in the first half.
Another dunk by Wilson, followed by a reverse layup from Makeem Loudermill doubled the score to 32-16 at the 3:28 mark.
Fritz's fourth 3-pointer of the half gave the Bruins a 37-19 lead at the intermission.
Fritz led the Bruins in the first half with 12 points, going 4-of-6 from long range. Wilson scored eight first-half points on 4-of-4 shooting while adding six rebounds and three blocks.
Monis paced the V-Hawks with nine first-half points.
Bellevue scored the first 10 points of the second half, including five straight from Vinson to push the margin to 28 points at 47-19.
Another triple by Fritz made it a 30-point game at 61-31 with 10:22 remaining in the contest. Viterbo never got closer than 28 points the remainder of the contest as BU cruised to the 82-49 victory.
The Bruins will host (RV) Mayville State University next Saturday, Jan. 27, at 5:00 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
