BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Senior guard Gabby Moore scored 24 points, and the Bruins pulled away late as the Bellevue University women's basketball team secured an 80-66 victory over Southwestern Christian University in the season opener for both teams in the Chick-fil-A-Classic at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
Moore went 9-of-21 from the field and hit four 3-pointers while adding three assists and a pair of steals. Ashtyn Arnold finished with 15 points and nine boards. Taylor Dement was the third Bruin in double figures, registering 11 points while adding eight assists and two steals. Zakiyyah Muhammad pulled down 10 rebounds while scoring six points.
MJ Case paced the Eagles with 20 points and seven rebounds. Kennedy Allison added 14 points, eight boards, two assists, and a pair of steals.
Neither team could establish control in the early going, with the largest lead for either team being three points in the opening quarter as BU took a 17-14 advantage after the first 10 minutes of action. Moore (7) and Dement (5) combined for 12 points to lead the Bruins in the first quarter.
After BU opened up a six-point lead early in the second quarter on a layup by Muhammad, the Eagles scored five straight, capped by a 3-pointer from Brooke Roberson, making it 24-23 with 6:23 left before the intermission. The Eagles took their first lead of the second quarter following a layup by Case, giving SCU a 31-30 edge at the 3:16 mark.
The Bruins scored seven straight to end the half, capped by a steal and a layup by Dement, as BU took a 38-31 lead into the break.
Moore led BU in the opening half with 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field.
Case paced the Eagles with 11 points and three rebounds in the opening 20 minutes of play.
A 3-point play by Arnold and a 3-pointer by Dru Zoucha helped BU build a double-digit lead at 44-32 to open the second half. SCU battled back, closing the third quarter on a 12-4 run to pull to within four points at 56-52 heading into the final frame.
After a triple by Case drew the Eagles to within three points, back-to-back 3-pointers from Moore and Zoucha sparked a 13-0 BU spurt as the Bruins gained a 16-point advantage at 73-57 at the 4:08 mark. The Eagles never got closer than 14 points the remainder of the contest as BU earned the 80-66 victory.
The Bruins will conclude the tournament tomorrow (Nov. 2) with a 5 p.m. contest against Mount Mercy University.
