BELLEVUE, Neb. -- After sharing a conference for the past 12 seasons, the Bellevue University men's basketball team met Waldorf University in a non-conference tilt for the first time since 2005 on Wednesday evening with the Bruins emerging victorious, 73-63.
Putting together consecutive victories for the first time since late November, Bellevue improved to 8-5 with the win. Waldorf dipped to 3-11 with their sixth loss in their last seven games.
Gene Noble knocked down a three from the win to take Waldorf to an early 5-2 advantage before a 7-0 Bruin run featuring a couple of layups from Liam Thompson and a three-pointer by Caleb Chiang put BU in front, 9-5, with 15:39 to play.
Waldorf led 17-15 on a layup from Emmanuel Ferguson at the 11:16 mark before a 6-0 Bruin run in 1:19 of game time that wrapped around the media timeout put Bellevue back in the lead, 21-17 as Smith sank a pair of free throws.
A trey from Cartier Parr and a pair of free throws from Ferguson gave the Warriors a 22-21 advantage with 5:23 to play.
Bellevue again answered, stringing together a 13-3 run, flipping the lead for the ninth and final time of the half on a pair of free throws from Deng Jal at the 3:11 mark.
Parr ended the run with a pair of free throws nine seconds before halftime.
Bruin post players Nigel Wilson, RJ Smith, and Emarr Vinson combined for 18 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in the first half with BU taking a 34-27 lead into the locker room.
Bellevue scored on a back cut out of the break but Waldorf managed to pull withing a bucket at the 16:30 mark with a 9-2 run before BU hit back with a 7-0 run of their own.
Christian Carter pushed the Bruin lead to three, 55-43, on a kick off three from Thompson following an offensive rebound with 9:42 to play.
Nick Graves buried consecutive three-pointers to pull the Warriors within four at the 5:29 mark before Raphael Allen answered with back-to-back triples of his own for a 65-55 BU lead with 4:15 to play.
Ugo Ejiofor converted a dunk with 1:32 to play to get Waldorf back within seven but BU hit on all six free throw attempts in the final minute to salt away the victory.
Wilson finished with 16 points to lead four Bruins in double figures. Allen added 13, Carter contributed 11, and Smith chipped in 10. Allen and Vinson grabbed six rebounds apiece as BU out-rebounded Waldorf 35-24.
Graves paced Waldorf with 16 of his own and Khalil Grayson added 11 in the loss. Noble and Ejiofor finished with 10 apiece, the former adding a game-high nine rebounds.
The Bruins return home when they host the Four Points by Sheraton Bruin Classic Sunday-Monday, Dec. 29-30. BU faces Haskell Indian Nations University at 7 p.m. on the 29th before facing #14 Morningside University on the 30th, also a 7 p.m.
