BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Paced by a career night from RJ Smith, the Bellevue University men's basketball team pulled away in the second half for a 77-66 victory over Ozark Christian College Friday night in the Fairfield Inn by Marriott Bruin Classic played in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
With the win, the Bruins improved to 4-2 on the season. The Ambassadors fell to 3-1 overall. BU is now 3-0 in the all-time series with OCC.
Smith led the Bruins with a career-high 20 points, going 9-for-9 from the field. He also added five rebounds and four assists.
Joining Smith in double figures was Liam Thompson (12) and Willie Williams (10). TJ Fritz finished with nine points and three steals.
Andre Johnson paced the Ambassadors with 17 points, three rebounds, and three steals. Dillon Bycroft added 15 points, three boards, and three assists.
The teams traded buckets in the early going until BU converted on four steals with three layups and a dunk to give BU a 14-8 lead seven minutes into the game. OCC answered with seven straight points over the next two minutes to gain a 15-14 advantage.
Trailing by three, the Bruins scored seven straight, capped by a layup from Smith to take a 28-24 lead with 3:45 left in the opening half. A 3-pointer by Caleb Chiang forced an OCC timeout with BU leading 33-28 at the 2:21 mark.
Sparked by a 3-pointer from Bycroft, the Ambassadors closed the half on a 9-5 run to pull to within one point at 38-37.
Williams led BU in the opening half with eight points, while four Bruins registered six points.
Johnson paced the Ambassadors with nine points and a pair of rebounds.
Smith scored the first four points of the second half as BU opened the period on an 8-2 run to expand the margin to seven points at 46-39.
The Bruins used a 10-0 run to push the margin to 14 points at 59-45 with 11:20 left in the contest. OCC countered with eight straight to cut the deficit to six points at 61-55 at the 8:53 mark.
A pair of 3-pointers by Fritz and JJ Montgomery propelled BU to a 14-point cushion at 73-59 with three minutes remaining. A 3-pointer by Blaine Salsman made the final, 77-66.
The Bruins will conclude the tournament on Saturday (Nov. 23) with a 2 p.m. contest against Nobel (Calif.) University.
