FOREST CITY, Iowa -- Trailing by as many as 20 points in the second half, Bellevue University battled back to within two points late in the fourth quarter before falling at Waldorf University, 60-56, in North Star Athletic Association women's basketball action Friday night at Hanson Fieldhouse.
The loss dropped the Bruins to 10-12 on the season and 3-4 in the NSAA. Waldorf picked up its first conference victory, improving to 6-14 overall and 1-6 in league play.
Ashtyn Arnold led the Bruins with 18 points on 7-of-16 shooting from the field while adding three rebounds. Aminah Hall registered 10 points and five boards. Gabby Moore chipped in with nine points, six rebounds, and a pair of assists.
Brooke Dial and Lizzie Garza scored 15 points apiece to pace the Warrior offense. Edosa Ogbemudia added 13 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Sandra Christian was the fourth Warrior in double figures, finishing with 13 points along with three boards, two steals, and two blocked shots.
BU had trouble finding its rhythm in the early going, missing seven of its first eight shots as the Warriors built a 6-2 advantage. A 5-0 WU run extended the advantage to seven points at 11-4 following a long 3-pointer by Christian.
The Warriors ended the first quarter on back-to-back 3-pointers by Dial to give WU a 17-6 lead after the opening 10 minutes of play.
Dial scored 10 first-quarter points to lead all players, and BU hit just 2-of-15 shots from the field, including an 0-for-4 effort from beyond the arc.
A 9-1 WU burst pushed the margin to 18 points following another triple by Christian, making it 28-10 with 6:31 left in the second quarter.
After a steal and a layup by Arnold cut the lead to 16 points, neither team scored for over three minutes until Hall nailed a 3-pointer to make it 28-15 at the 3:11 mark of the second.
After a trey by Dial, Arnold hit 1-of-2 free throws to make 31-16. Neither team scored for the final 2:38 of the first half as the Warriors took a 15-point lead into the intermission.
The Bruins, who hit just 5-of-30 shots in the opening half, were led by Hall's six first-half points, draining both of her 3-point attempts.
Dial (13) and Christian (8) combined for 21 points to pace the Warriors in the opening 20 minutes of play.
Sparked by five points from Ogbemudia, Waldorf doubled the score at 40-20, opening the second half on a 9-4 run. The Bruins answered with a 9-1 spurt., including five straight from Arnold, to slice the deficit to 12 points at 41-29, holding Waldorf without a field goal for over five minutes. A layup by Ogbemudia and a free throw by Sophia Laurel gave WU a 44-29 lead heading into the final frame.
A 15-5 Bruin burst to open the fourth quarter, capped by a 3-pointer from Arnold, cut the margin to six points at 50-44 with 4:09 remaining in the contest. Consecutive layups by Moore and Kaylee Denker moved the Bruins to within four (52-48) at the 2:17 mark.
After a missed layup by Moore that would have made it a two-point game, Christian drained a 3-pointer to push the margin to seven points (55-48) with 1:54 left in the game.
Three-pointers by Delaney VanBlaricon and Arnold made it a two-point contest at 58-56 with 30 seconds remaining.
Christian hit two free throws with 20 seconds left to seal the 60-56 victory.
The Bruins will head to La Crosse, Wis. tomorrow (Feb. 3) for a 3 p.m. NSAA matchup at Viterbo University.
