BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Mayville State University scored six points in the final 29 seconds, including a game-winning steal by Cristian Butler and a layup at the buzzer by Trey Swayzer to give MSU at 70-69 victory over Bellevue Univesity in North Star Athletic Association men's basketball action Friday night at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
The loss dropped the Bruins to 6-5 on the season and 0-1 in the NSAA. MSU improved to 9-3 overall and 1-0 in league play.
Bellevue, who did not trail in the second half until the final second, was led by TJ Fritz, who finished with 19 points, going 5-of-8 from behind the arc. Nigel Wilson finished with 11 points, four assists, two rebounds, and two blocks. Liam Thompson was the third Bruin in double figures, registering 10 points along with two assists and a pair of steals.
Swayzer paced the Comets with 20 points on 10-of-14 shooting from the field. Darren Jones recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. JJ White finished with 14 points and two boards.
After Fritz drained a quick 3-pointer to open the contest, MSU reeled off 11 straight points, including seven from Jones, to take an 11-3 lead. A 6-0 Comet run expanded the lead to 13 points at 25-12 midway through the opening half. A 3-point play by Emarr Vinson and a layup at the buzzer by Liam Thompson capped a 23-10 Bruin run to close the half as BU took a slim 35-34 lead into the intermission.
Fritz led BU in the opening half with 11 points, going 3-for-5 from long range.
Jones paced the Comets with 11 first-half points, going 5-of-9 from the field while adding four rebounds.
The Bruins opened the second half on a 9-2 run to gain an eight-point advantage at 44-36 with 14:40 left in the game. After a layup by RJ Smith gave BU a 48-42 lead, the Comets scored six straight to knot the contest at 48-48 at the 8:11 mark. The teams played even over the next seven minutes and a 3-pointer by Wilson gave BU a five-point edge at 67-62 with 1:29 remaining.
After Christian Carter nailed a pair of free throws to give BU a 69-64 cushion with 29 seconds left, MSU got quick buckets by Butler and Swayzer to make it a one-point game at 69-68 with five seconds remaining. A steal by Butler led to the layup by Swayzer as time expired, giving the Comets the 70-69 victory.
The Bruins will host Valley City State University on Saturday (Dec. 14) at 5 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
