WARRENSBURG, Mo. -- The University of Central Missouri women's basketball team broke open a tight contest midway through the third quarter as UCM recorded a 94-59 victory over Bellevue University Monday night in an exhibition contest at the Multipurpose Building.
Lexi Allen led the Bruins with 15 points, going 5-for-7 from behind the arc. Delaney VanBlaricon drained three triples and finished with 14 points along with two rebounds, and a steal.
Elexis Martinez finished with 12 points and four boards.
Olivia Nelson paced the Jennies with 29 points, five assists, and four steals. Brooke Littrell added 20 points, four assists, and three rebounds. Nija Collier nearly recorded a double-double, finishing with 19 points and nine boards.
The Jennies shot a blistering 62.9 percent from the field and were 7-of-19 in 3-point attempts.
BU went 9-of-30 from behind the arc while shooting 38.2 percent from the field.
Martinez scored 10 first-quarter points as BU hit 7-of-13 shots to counter the Jennies' 11-of-16 effort, putting UCM in front, 25-20 after the opening 10 minutes of play.
After the Bruins opened the second quarter with a 15-foot basket by Ross to pull BU to within three points, UCM scored 13 consecutive points to grab a 38-22 lead with 4:28 left before intermission.
Bellevue responded by scoring the final eight points of the half, capped by five-straight points from VanBlaricon to draw BU to within eight points at the halftime break, 44-36.
Allen led BU in the first half with 12 points, nailing all four of her 3-point attempts. Martinez finished the half with 10 points and three rebounds.
Nelson (15), Collier (13), and Littrell (11) combined for 39 of UCM's 44 points in the first half.
The Bruins got as close as seven points following a 3-pointer by VanBlaricon, making it 50-43 with 7:29 remaining in the third frame. BU went scoreless for nearly three minutes as the Jennies closed the third quarter on a 23-6 run to take a commanding 73-49 advantage heading into the final stanza.
A layup by Littrell expanded the margin to 29 points at 79-50 with eight minutes left in the contest. The Bruins never got closer than 26 points the remainder of the contest as UCM secured the 94-59 victory.
The Bruins will be idle until next Monday, Nov. 29, when they host Hastings College beginning at 5 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
