HILLSBORO, Kan. -- Gabby Moore and Zakiyyah Muhammad combined for 28 points to lead the Bellevue University women's basketball team to a 62-54 victory over (RV) Tabor College in the Bruins' final game of the Tabor Classic Saturday afternoon.
The Bruins moved to 4-0 on the season with the victory. Tabor fell to 2-2 overall.
Moore finished with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. Muhammad recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Taylor Dement registered nine points, three rebounds, two steals, and an assist. Ashtyn Arnold and Josias Mickens finished with seven points apiece in the victory.
Tabor's Lillie Veer led all players with 20 points on 9-of-18 shooting from the field.
The Bruins raced out to a 10-2 lead in the first five minutes of the contest, fueled by four points from Dement to open the game. After Moore's second 3-pointer of the first quarter gave BU a 13-6 lead, the Bluejays ended the frame on a 4-0 run to close the gap to three points at 13-10.
BU held Tabor scoreless for the first six minutes of the second quarter as the Bruins opened up a nine-point lead at 19-10 following a layup and free throw by Arnold. After a 3-pointer by Danielle Coyer gave BU an 11-point edge, the Bluejays went on a 5-0 run to close the gap to six points at 22-16 at the 2:49 mark. The two teams traded buckets for the remainder of the quarter until a putback bucket by Arnold at the buzzer gave the Bruins a 31-23 lead at the intermission.
Moore led BU in the opening half with nine points on a 3-of-4 showing from beyond the arc. Dement, Muhammad, and Arnold chipped in with five points apiece.
Veer paced the Bluejays in the first half with nine points and a steal.
Muhammad scored six points early in the third frame to help BU open up an 11-point cushion at 40-29. After a free throw by Josias Mickens gave BU a 13-point margin, Tabor went on a 5-0 run to claw to within eight points before two late free throws by Dement made it 50-40 heading into the final stanza.
Neither team scored in the fourth until a layup by Coyer at the 6:40 mark gave BU a 52-40 lead. After a 5-0 Tabor run drew the Bluejays to within seven points, BU answered with a deep triple by Moore to make it a double-digit contest at 60-50 with 3:20 remaining.
After a layup by Veer made it 62-54 at the two-minute mark, neither team scored again as Tabor missed its final three shots and two free throws.
The Bruins return home on Tuesday, Nov. 12, for a 6 p.m. contest against Hastings College in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
