MADISON, S.D. -- After falling behind by 19 points early in the second half, the Bruins battled back to within three points in the fourth before DSU used a 19-2 run to propel Dakota State University to a 69-51 victory over Bellevue University in North Star Athletic Association women's basketball action Thursday night in the DSU Memorial Fieldhouse.
The loss dropped the Bruins to 16-11 on the season and 10-4 in the NSAA.
DSU won the NSAA regular-season title, finishing with a 13-1 league record while improving to 23-5 overall.
Asha Scott led the Bruins with 12 points, four assists, and three rebounds. Miranda Hennings added nine points, eight rebounds, and four steals.
Taylor Dement and Ashtyn Arnold finished with eight points apiece. Laura Jurek tallied five points, eight rebounds, and five assists.
Savannah Walsdorf led three Trojans in double figures, finishing with a double-double after registering 19 points and 11 rebounds. Elsie Aslesen finished with 17 points and seven boards. Angela Slattery was the third Bruin in double figures, collecting 10 points along with five boards.
The Bruins led by four points twice in the first quarter before the Trojans ended the opening frame on a 10-4 run to take a 15-12 lead after the opening 10 minutes of play.
Neither team scored for a three-minute stretch of the second quarter before Walsdorf registered four-straight points to give DSU a 21-15 lead midway through the second quarter.
After a 3-pointer by Hennings pulled BU to within two points, the Trojans ended the quarter on a 7-1 run to take a 28-20 lead into the intermission.
The two teams combined for 25 first-half turnovers as DSU outshot the Bruins 33.3 to 28.6 percent.
Taylor Dement led BU in the opening half with six points. Walsdorf paced the Trojans in the first half with 11 points and six boards.
The Trojans scored the first 11 points of the second half to extend the margin to 19 points at 39-20 at the 6:43 mark of the third quarter.
BU clawed its way back as Scott scored seven points in a 10-2 BU run to pull the Bruins to within eight points at 44-36 with 2:13 left in the third frame.
A pair of 3-pointers by Hennings drew BU to within five points at 47-42 heading into the final quarter.
After a bucket by Dement pulled the Bruins to within three points to start the fourth stanza, DSU used a 10-0 run to pull away for a 57-44 advantage with 5:21 left in the game.
Bellevue never got closer than 12 points the remainder of the contest as the Trojans earned the 69-51 victory.
The Bruins will be the No. 3 seed in the upcoming NSAA Tournament. Bellevue will host a quarterfinal contest on Tuesday, Feb. 21, beginning at 7 p.m. against the No. 6 seed Viterbo University.
The NSAA Tournament semifinals and championship games will take place on Feb. 25-26 at the Watertown Civic Arena in Watertown, S.D.
