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BELLEVUE UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS

Bruins earn 68-63 win over DSU

Emarr Vinson scored 10 points and dished out five assists in the win.
Emarr Vinson scored 10 points and dished out five assists in the win.

Box Score
NSAA Standings

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Three Bruins scored in double figures as the Bellevue University men's basketball team earned a hard-fought 68-63 victory over visiting Dakota State University Friday night in North Star Athletic Association action at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. 

Bellevue improved to 11-8 on the season with the win and 3-3 in the NSAA. DSU fell to 7-11 overall and remained winless in the league at 0-6. 

TJ Fritz, Emarr Vinson, and Nigel Wilson scored 10 points apiece to lead the Bruin offense. RJ Smith added nine points and four rebounds.

Lane Tietz paced the Trojans with 15 points and three boards. Colby Dillenbeck added 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field. Taine Mitchell and Aiden Jensen finished with 10 points each. 

BU outshot the Trojans, 51 to 43 percent, and held a 50 to 20 percent advantage from beyond the arc.  

Bellevue hit nine of its first 11 shots, including five 3-pointers, to race out to a 23-14 lead in the first eight minutes of the contest.

After DSU used a 5-0 run to pull to within four points at 30-26, the Bruins countered with four straight to regain an eight-point cushion. DSU closed the half on a 5-2 run as BU maintained a 36-31 advantage at the intermission.  

Fritz led BU in the opening half with eight points on 2-of-3 shooting from long range. 

Dillenbeck paced the Trojans with seven first-half points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field.  

Two straight layups by Matt Mathok extended the BU lead to eight points at 49-41 with 13 minutes left in the contest. 

After the Trojans got to within four points following a layup by Tietz, the Bruins went on a 6-0 run fueled by back-to-back layups from Smith to give Bellevue a 10-point edge at 61-51 at the 4:13 mark.

DSU pulled to within three points at 61-58, following a 7-0 run sparked by 3-pointers from Tietz and Bryden Pankonen. Mitchell's two free throws made it a two-point contest at 63-61 with 40 seconds remaining. 

Bellevue drained five free throws in the final 34 seconds to seal the 68-63 victory.  

The Bruins will host Dickinson State University next Friday, Jan. 24, at 7:30 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.