BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Powered by Elexis Martinez and Taeha Pankey, the Bellevue University women's basketball team won its fourth-straight contest with a 69-58 victory over visiting Dickinson State University in North Star Athletic Association action Friday night at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
Bellevue improved to 6-4 overall and 2-1 in the NSAA. The BlueHawks fell to 2-6 on the season and 0-2 in league play.
Martinez led the Bruins with 15 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two blocks. Pankey added 13 points and a pair of assists. Faith Ross registered nine points and six boards in the victory.
Courtney Olson was the lone BlueHawk in double figures, finishing with 11 points along with six rebounds, three steals, and two assists.
Both teams went 22-of-57 from the field and each squad drained six 3-pointers. The difference in scoring came at the free-throw line where BU hit 19-of-32, compared to 8-of-12 for the BlueHawks. DSU was tagged with 21 personal fouls and had two BlueHawks foul out of the contest.
Neither team led by more than four points in the opening quarter as Bellevue took a slim 17-14 lead after the first 10 minutes of play. The Bruins hit three 3-pointers in the first quarter and were led by Pankey's five points. Martinez scored four points and grabbed four rebounds. Olson paced the BlueHawks with five first-quarter points.
Fueled by consecutive 3-pointers from Ashlie Watts, DSU opened the second quarter on a 12-3 run to grab a 26-20 advantage at the 5:21 mark. The Bruins countered with an eight-point run to close the half, giving Bellevue a 31-28 lead at the intermission.
Pankey led BU in the opening half with seven points and two 3-pointers. Martinez added five points and six rebounds.
Olson paced the BlueHawks with seven points and three boards.
Both teams shot 35 percent in the first half and each team hit four shots from behind the arc.
A layup by Martinez capped a 10-4 BU run to open the second half as the Bruins expanded the advantage to nine points at 41-32 with 5:48 left in the third. A layup by Pankey at the buzzer gave the Bruins a 10-point cushion (51-41) heading into the final quarter.
After a 3-pointer by Ross gave BU an 11-point lead, DSU went on an 8-2 run to make it a five-point game (56-51) with 5:23 left in the contest.
After the Bruins expanded the lead back to nine points, the BlueHawks got to within five again following a triple by Mackenzi Reed, making it 63-58 at the 2:13 mark.
Bellevue drained six free throws in the final 90 seconds to preserve the 69-58 victory.
The Bruins will host Valley City State University on Saturday (Jan. 9) at 3 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
