BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Honnah Leo and Alyssa Marsh-Conteras combined for 33 points as College of St. Mary pulled away for a 67-54 victory over the Bellevue University women's basketball team in the BU Chick-Fil-A Classic Saturday afternoon in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
With the loss, Bellevue falls to 2-2 on the season. CSM improves to 5-0 overall.
Lexi Allen led the Bruins with a season-high 15 points. She went 4-for-7 from behind the arc while adding a steal.
Faith Ross added 10 points, five rebounds, and a pair of assists. Elexis Martinez finished with 10 points, two assists, and one rebound.
Leo nailed five 3-pointers, finishing with a game-high 19 points, along with five boards. She was 7-of-12 from the field and 5-of-7 from behind the arc.
Marsh-Contreras collected 14 points, six rebounds, three assists, and three steals.
Neither team led by more the four points in the opening quarter which saw two ties and three lead changes. BU used a 6-2 run to end the quarter to take a 15-13 lead into the second frame. Allen led BU in the opening quarter with six points.
A 3-pointer by Kenzie Hoit gave the Flames their largest lead of the first half at 20-15 with 8:28 remaining before intermission. BU responded with a 9-2 scoring burst, capped by a triple from Allen as the Bruins regained the advantage at 24-22 at the 5:45 mark.
After a Hoit layup gave CSM a four-point edge, Laura Jurek's 3-point play narrowed the Flame's advantage to one point at 32-31 at the halftime break.
Allen led BU in the first half with nine points. Ross added seven points and three rebounds. Martinez, who was held scoreless in the first quarter, ended the half with six points, one rebound, and one assist.
Leo paced the Flames in the opening half with eight points and a pair of rebounds.
The two teams traded buckets for the majority of the third quarter until Marsh-Contreras nailed three 3-pointers and scored 10 points during a 15-6 run to close the quarter as CSM grabbed a 55-46 lead heading into the final frame.
The Bruins were held scoreless for nearly four minutes to open the fourth as CSM opened a 14-point cushion (60-46) with six minutes left in the contest.
A 3-pointer by Allen drew the Bruins to within 11 points before a 7-0 Flame run put the game out of reach as the Flames secured the 67-54 victory.
The Bruins will host Dordt University on Tuesday, Nov. 9 beginning at 6 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
