BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Jes Mertens and Mackenzie Hughes combined for 62 points to lead Mayville State University to a 92-81 victory over Bellevue University on Senior Day Saturday afternoon in North Star Athletic Association women's basketball action at the BU Fieldhouse.
The loss dropped the Bruins to 13-12 on the season and 5-8 in the NSAA. MSU improved to 18-8 overall and 8-6 in league action.
With the Bruins' first bucket of the game, Ashtyn Arnold became just the third player in school history to record 1,000 career points. Arnold finished the game with 15 points, two rebounds, and two assists.
Kaylee Denker led the Bruins with 19 points and four rebounds. Gabby Moore added 17 points, five boards, and two assists.
Mertens led the Comets with 42 points, seven rebounds, and five assists. She was 15-of-21 from the field and 9-of-10 from the charity stripe. Hughes finished with 20 points, four assists, and three rebounds. Alex Page added 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists.
Mertens hit all seven of her first-quarter attempts, scoring 18 points as MSU shot 68.8 percent from the field to take a 29-10 lead after the opening 10 minutes of play. Arnold scored eight of the Bruins' 10 points in the first quarter.
Bellevue opened the second quarter on a 15-5 run to slice the deficit to single digits at 34-25 with 4:42 left in the half. The Comets answered with a 10-5 spurt to end the half as MSU took a 44-30 lead into the intermission.
Arnold led the Bruins in the first half with 11 points and two rebounds. Denker added nine points and two boards.
Mertens paced MSU in the opening half with 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field while adding four rebounds. Hughes registered nine points and three assists in the opening 20 minutes of play.
A 7-0 BU run early in the third quarter, capped by a running floater in the lane by Arnold, drew the Bruins to within eight points (49-41) at the 7:27 mark. A 3-point play by Hughes sparked a 13-4 MSU surge, extending the margin to 17 points (62-45) with 3:27 left in the third. Two 3-pointers by Dement and a 3-point play by Moore pulled BU to within 10 at 64-54 at the 1:50 mark. Three Comet free throws and a layup by Alex Page gave MSU a 69-54 lead heading into the final frame.
After the Comets opened up a 23-point lead following a 9-1 run, the Bruins got as close as 11 points before MSU claimed the 92-81 victory. BU scored the game's final nine points.
Bellevue's six seniors, Ashtyn Arnold, Taylor Dement, Brandi Dunn, Aminah Hall, Josias Mickens, and Gabby Moore, were honored after the contest.
The Bruins head to Dickinson, N.D., next Friday, Feb. 21, for a 6:30 p.m. (CT) matchup with Dickinson State University.
