BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Elexis Martinez scored 18 points in the fourth quarter to help lift the Bellevue University women's basketball team to a 72-64 victory over visiting Viterbo University Saturday afternoon in North Star Athletic Association action at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
With the victory, the Bruins improved to 4-4 on the season and 1-1 in the NSAA. Viterbo dropped to 1-2 overall and 0-1 in league play.
Martinez led the Bruins with 22 points and two rebounds. In the fourth quarter, Martinez went 8-of-10 from the field and was 2-of-2 from the charity stripe.
Faith Ross added 13 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals in the victory. Jamie Winkler finished with 12 points, five boards, four assists, and a pair of steals.
Allie Wojtysiak was the lone V-Hawk in double figures, finishing with 11 points along with eight rebounds and two steals.
After BU missed its first seven shots, Ross scored nine-straight points to give the Bruins a 9-6 lead with 4:10 remaining in the first quarter. Both teams were cool from the field shooting 35 percent in the opening frame as BU took a narrow 17-16 lead after 10 minutes of play. Fourteen V-Hawks saw action in the first quarter.
The two teams traded baskets for the majority of the second quarter until five-straight points by Lexi Allen gave BU a 36-30 advantage with 2:14 left before intermission. A 3-pointer by Winkler gave the Bruins a 39-32 edge at the one-minute mark and both teams missed opportunities in the closing seconds as the Bruins took a seven-point lead into the locker room.
Ross led the Bruins in the first half with 11 points, four assists, and three rebounds. Winkler provided 10 points and a pair of boards. The Bruins shot 40 percent in the opening half and were 5-of-16 from behind the arc.
Madison Lindauer and Wojtysiak both scored six points to pace the V-Hawks in the opening half. VU was 12-of-36 from the field (33.3 percent) while hitting 5-of-18 3-pointers.
After a pair of free throws by Laura Jurek gave the Bruins a double-digit margin at 43-32, the V-Hawks trimmed the deficit to four points following an 8-1 run capped by a layup from Nicole Johnson, making it 44-40 with 2:22 left in the third stanza. Buckets by each team made it 46-42 heading into the final frame. The Bruins made just one field goal in the third quarter and were outscored, 10-7.
After a 3-pointer by Ellie Hoesley to open the fourth made it a one-point game, the Bruins went on a 10-2 run sparked by eight-straight points from Martinez to take a 56-47 lead at the 6:31 mark.
The V-Hawks drew to within three points following a 3-pointer by Wojtysiak to make it a 64-61 with three minutes remaining. The Bruins responded with two-straight buckets from Martinez to make it 68-61 at the 1:22 mark.
BU nailed four free throws in the final 21 seconds to preserve the 72-64 victory.
The Bruins will travel to Peru, Neb. on Monday (Jan. 4) for a 5 p.m. non-conference clash with Peru State College in Al Wheeler Activity Center.
