BELLEVUE, Neb, -- An 18-2 Bluejay run in 4:06 to close the third and open the fourth quarter was too much to overcome for the Bellevue University women's basketball team as the Bruins dropped their season-opener, 70-58, to Tabor College on Saturday afternoon at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
The teams were tied at 15-all following a physical first quarter and the Bruins took a 30-24 lead into the locker room following a sound second quarter defensively, in which they limited Tabor to just nine points.
Bellevue, as they looked to build on their lead, got numerous good looks to open the third quarter but the shots would not fall as Tabor hung around.
Faith Ross hit a jumper with 15 seconds left in the third to put BU up 42-37 but an old-fashioned three-point play from Laney Scott pulled the Bluejays to within two after three quarters of play.
That and-one from Scott kicked of the game-changing 18-2 Tabor run as the Bluejays took hold of the game, going up 55-44 on a three-pointer from Lexi Wall.
The Bruins never got closer than eight the rest of the way.
Bellevue struggled from beyond the arc, hitting on just 1-of-16 attempts while Tabor drained six threes, going 5-of-8 in the second half including a 4-of-5 effort in the fourth quarter.
Elexis Martinez scored 13 of her team-high 16 points in the opening half and Ross added nine points on the evening. Taeha Pankey and Jamie Winkler each scored eight and Laura Jurek tossed in seven.
Jurek led the BU rebounding efforts with 10 boards while Martinez and Winkler added six apiece.
Zoe Shieldnight recorded a 13-point, 13-rebound double-double to pace the Bluejays in both categories. Kacey Rice scored 11 of her 12 points in the fourth quarter and Laney Scott joined in double figures with 10 points off the bench.
Bellevue travels to Salina, Kan. on Tuesday, Oct. 27 for a 5:30 p.m. tip-off against Kansas Wesleyan University.
