MITCHELL, S.D. -- The Bellevue University women's basketball team scored just 16 first-half points and could never recover as Dakota Wesleyan University recorded an 87-50 victory Wednesday night in non-conference action at the Corn Palace.
The loss dropped the Bruins to 4-8 on the season. DWU improved to 9-2 overall.
Elexis Martinez led the Bruins with 13 points and six rebounds. Faith Ross added eight points, two boards, and a pair of assists.
Jada Campbell paced four Tigers in double figures, finishing with 19 points on 8-of-14 shooting from the field. She also added six rebounds.
Matti Reiner recorded 13 points, four rebounds, and three assists. Natalie Gottlob came off the bench to score 13 points while adding four rebounds.
Rynn Osthus was the fourth Tiger in double figures, finishing with 12 points along with six rebounds, four assists, and a pair of steals.
The Bruins hit just 2-of-10 shots in the first quarter while committing seven turnovers as the Tigers grabbed a 19-8 lead after the opening 10 minutes of play.
DWU used an 18-6 run, sparked by six-straight points from Gottlob, to stretch the Tiger advantage to 24 points (37-13) with 3:37 left before the intermission.
Kaylee Kirk nailed 2-of-3 free throws at the buzzer after getting fouled on a half-court shot as DWU took a commanding 45-16 lead at the halftime break.
Asha Scott led BU in the opening half with seven points and four rebounds. She was 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Ross added five points while connecting on BU's lone 3-pointer in the opening half.
Reiner paced the Tigers in the first half with 14 points on 7-of-12 shooting.
The Bruins shot 18.2 percent from the field in the opening half and committed 12 turnovers.
DWU took 18 more shots in the first half, shooting 47.5 percent while not committing a turnover.
The Bruins got as close as 24 points following a five-point run capped by a 3-pointer from Ross, making it 49-25 with 6:58 left in the third.
That was as close as BU would get in the third frame as Gottlob completed a 3-point play just before the buzzer to give the Tigers a 31-point margin (63-32) heading into the final stanza.
After Delaney VanBlaricon opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer to draw the Bruins to within 28 points, the Tigers scored four straight and never let BU get closer than 30 the remainder of the contest, as DWU cruised to the 87-50 victory.
The Bruins will head to San Diego, Calif. next Wednesday, Dec. 15, where they will take on San Diego Christian in a 5 p.m. matchup at the Joan Kroc Center.
