McKENZIE, Tenn. -- The Bellevue University women's basketball team raced out to an early lead and controlled the contest from start to finish as BU earned an 83-74 victory over Lindsey Wilson College in the Bethel University Holiday Classic on Saturday afternoon at Crisp Arena.
With the win, the Bruins improved to 5-5 on the season. The loss snapped a 5-game winning streak for LWC as the Blue Raiders fell to 9-3 overall.
The Bruins, who never trailed in the contest, were led by Brandi Dunn's 17 points and four rebounds. Dunn went 7-of-10 from the field, including a 3-of-5 effort from beyond the arc.
Kaylee Denker recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 boards. Gabby Moore registered 15 points, five assists, three rebounds, and a pair of steals in the victory. Delaney VanBlaricon scored 11 points, and Ashtyn Arnold chipped in 10, as five Bruins scored double figures.
The Bruins shot a season-high 52.5 percent from the field while connecting on a season-high 12-of-24 from long range.
The Blue Raiders were paced by Jordy Stephens' 26 points. Stephens was 10-of-15 from the field and 4-of-5 from beyond the arc. Amelia Hodges collected 13 points, and Taylor Guess finished with 10 points and three rebounds.
Moore scored five early points as BU raced out to an 11-0 lead, holding LWC scoreless for the first six minutes of the contest. The Blue Raiders missed their first nine shots of the game until Hodges nailed a shot from beyond the arc.
LWC cut the deficit to six points on a 3-pointer by Janiya Davis, making it 14-8 with 2:45 left in the first. After layups by Arnold and Moore pushed the margin to 10 points, a 15-foot jumper by Lucy Patterson made it 18-10 after the opening 10 minutes of play.
Led by Moore's seven points, the Bruins outshot LWC 47.1 to 30.8 percent in the first quarter.
Dunn and Moore combined for six points to open the second quarter as BU expanded the lead to 14 points at 24-10 with 7:10 left before the intermission.
After a five-point BU run gave the Bruins a 15-point cushion, the Blue Raiders answered with an 8-0 run capped by back-to-back 3-pointers by Stephens and Jarie Thomas, slicing the lead to seven points at 29-22 at the 4:06 mark. BU responded with a 3-point play by Zakiyyah Muhammad and triples by VanBlaricon and Dunn to push the advantage back to double digits at 38-22 with 1:32 remaining before halftime.
The Blue Raiders scored four straight points before a baseline jumper by VanBlaricon at the buzzer gave the Bruins a 40-26 advantage at the break.
Dunn and Moore scored nine points apiece, while VanBlaricon added eight to lead the BU offense in the opening half.
Stephens paced the Blue Raiders with seven first-half points.
The Bruins outshot LWC 51.5 to 37.9 percent in the opening 20 minutes of play.
A pair of 3-pointers by Moore sparked an 8-2 BU run, giving the Bruins a 62-43 edge with 1:45 left in the third. Bellevue settled for a 17-point margin heading into the final frame as Aminah Hall drilled a 3-pointer in the final minute of the third stanza.
The Blue Raiders opened the fourth quarter with an 8-0 spurt to trim the deficit to single digits at 65-56 with eight minutes left in the contest. The Bruins answered with a 4-0 run later in the quarter to push the margin to 13 points (74-61) following a pair of free throws by Hall and a short jumper by Arnold.
Consecutive layups by Arnold and Dunn made it a 15-point contest at 78-63 at the 3:12 mark. The Blue Raiders got as close as nine points following back-to-back buckets by Stephens.
Denker drained a pair of free throws in the final 30 seconds to secure the 83-74 victory.
The Bruins will travel to Sioux City, Iowa, on Thursday, Dec. 14, to take on ninth-ranked Briar Cliff University at 6 p.m. at the Newman Flanagan Center.
