BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The Bruin trio of Gabby Moore, Dru Zoucha, and Ashtyn Arnold combined for 51 points to lead the Bellevue University women's basketball team to a decisive 83-51 victory over Dickinson State University Friday night in North Star Athletic Association action at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
The win avenged a 64-61 loss to the Blue Hawks on Jan. 11 in Dickinson, N.D.
The Bruins improved to 11-8 on the season and 3-4 in the NSAA. DSU fell to 7-12 overall and 2-6 in league play.
Moore led the Bruins with 20 points and three assists. Zoucha finished with 16 points on 5-of-7 shooting from long range. Arnold recorded her team-leading seventh double-double of the season with 15 points and 12 rebounds to go along with four assists.
Anhelica Shanrock led the Blue Hawks with 15 points, six rebounds, two steals, and a pair of blocks. Katherine Fox added 13 points and four boards.
Moore scored the Bruins' first seven points of the game as BU raced out to a 12-4 lead in the opening quarter. BU scored the final five points of the first quarter to gain a 17-8 advantage after the opening 10 minutes of play. DSU shot just 20 percent (2-of-10) in the opening frame.
A 13-0 second-quarter spurt, sparked by a pair of 3-pointers from Zoucha, pushed the Bruin edge to 21 points at 33-12 with 3:32 left in the half. The teams traded four-point runs to end the half as BU took a 39-20 lead into the intermission.
Moore led BU in the opening half with 14 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field. Zoucha registered 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
Shanrock paced the Blue Hawks with 10 first-half points while adding three boards.
Bellevue outshot DSU 39.4 to 24 percent in the opening 20 minutes of play.
The Blue Hawks opened the first two minutes of the second half on a 9-3 run to slice the deficit to 13 points at 42-29. BU responded with a 16-6 surge to push the lead to 23 points at 58-35 with 4:21 left in the third frame. DSU ended the third on a 6-2 run to pull to within 19 points at 60-41 heading into the final frame.
The Bruins scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter to build a commanding 27-point cushion at 68-41. The Blue Hawks got within 20 points (71-51) following four straight free shots by Brae Eneboe. BU answered with 12 straight sparked by back-to-back 3-pointers from Anna Long and Emma Russell as BU cruised to the 83-51 victory.
The Bruins will host the 24th-ranked University of Jamestown on Saturday (Jan. 25) at 3 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.
