Balanced offense keys Bellevue's 93-76 win over Concordia

Box Score

YORK, Neb. -- Five Bruins scored in double figures as the 19th-ranked Bellevue University men's basketball team closed out the York College Classic with a 93-76 win over Concordia (Neb.) University Saturday afternoon at the Freeman Center. 

Taylor Young and Given Kalipinde led the Bruins with 18 points apiece. Kalipinde notched a double-double, adding 11 rebounds to go along with three assists. Lee Ames finished with 16 points. Thomas Hammock chipped in with 14 points and Dimitri Chonis was the fifth Bruin in double figures, finishing with 12 points. 

Max Wegener (20) and Adam Vogt (19) combined for 39 points to lead the Concordia offense.  

The Bruins used a 19-0 run midway through the opening half to break away for a 35-12 advantage at the seven-minute mark.

Bellevue took a 53-32 halftime advantage on 50 percent shooting from the field, while limiting the Bulldogs to 34 percent shooting and forcing 10 turnovers. 

Hammock and Young scored 12 points apiece in the first half to pace the BU offense. Kalipinde added seven points and seven rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.

Concordia opened the second half on a 12-5 run to cut the deficit to 58-44 at the 16-minute mark. That was as close as the Bulldogs would get as a pair of free throws by Young capped an 8-0 BU run to push the lead back to 22 points (68-46) with 14 minutes remaining in the contest. 

The two teams traded baskets over the next five minutes until CU used a 9-2 run to draw to within 16 points at 78-62 at the eight-minute mark. A bucket by Scott Sellers gave BU an 87-66 advantage until CU scored five-straight points to draw within 16 points with four minutes left in the game. 

Bellevue converted six-straight free throws over the next two minutes, before the Bulldogs ended the game on a 5-0 run to make the final score, 93-76. 

The Bruins (2-0) will host Hastings College in their home opener on Tuesday, Oct. 5, beginning at 7 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.