BELLEVUE, Neb. -- In their debut game at the Bellevue University Fieldhouse, the Bruins fell in a dramatic 61-59 battle against Valley City State University in North Star Athletic Association men's basketball action Friday night.
The loss dropped the Bruins to 12-13 on the season and 4-8 in the NSAA. VCSU improved to 13-12 overall and 4-9 in league play.
Emarr Vinson led the Bruins with 12 points, two rebounds, and two assists. JJ Montgomery added nine points, four boards, and two assists. TJ Fritz and RJ Smith finished with eight points apiece.
Jayden Patcha paced the Vikings with 17 points and four rebounds. Tyrel Cregel added 16 points, five assists, and four boards. Odier Olange finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.
Neither team could establish control in the early going, with the largest lead for either team being five points in the first half. Despite outshooting the Vikings, 59.1 to 38.5 percent in the opening half, the Bruins held a slim 29-26 lead at the break.
Montgomery and Vinson led the Bruins in the first half with six points apiece. Odier Olange paced the Vikings with seven points and two rebounds. Tyrel Creger added six points and a pair of assists.
After the Vikings opened the second half with a jumper by Jayden Patcha to draw to within one point, the Bruins went on a 12-2 run to take a 41-30 lead with 15 minutes left in the contest. VCSU answered with a 12-2 run of their own to tie the game at 46-all at the 9:29 mark.
A pair of free throws by Smith capped a 6-1 BU spurt as the Bruins took a 52-47 lead with 6:27 left.
Four straight points by Creger made it a one-point contest at 54-53 with 3:18 remaining. A 3-point play by Creger gave VCSU a one-point edge at 58-57 at the 1:32 mark. After Fritz drained two free throws, Patcha's 3-point play gave the Vikings a 61-59 lead at the one-minute mark.
After a Bruin turnover and a missed shot by Patcha, a 3-point attempt by Willie Williams was just off the mark at the buzzer as the Vikings escaped with the 61-59 victory.
Bellevue returns to action tomorrow (Feb. 15) at 5 p.m. against Mayville State at the BU Fieldhouse. The Bruins will honor seniors Raphael Allen, Christian Carter, Caleb Chiang, TJ Fritz, Emarr Vinson, and Nigel Wilson before tipoff.
