Bruins take care of Saints in NSAA Quarters

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Three players scored in double-figures to lead the No. 25 Bellevue University men's basketball team defeated eighth-seeded Presentation College, 92-68, on Thursday evening in the quarterfinal round of the North Star Athletic Association Tournament at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.

With the win Bellevue improves to 20-10 overall and advances to the semi-finals where they will host fifth-seeded Dakota State on Saturday at 3 p.m.

Presentation concludes their season with an overall mark of 10-18.

The Saints and Bruins traded haymakers early on as both teams started off hot from the field. By the 9:56 mark of the first half the score was tied 23-23 as BU was shooting 50.0 percent and PC was shooting 52.9 percent in the early going.

BU used a 6-0 spurt over the next 2:18 to grab a six-point lead and led 35-31 following a basket by Presentation's Donnell Minton at the 4:53 mark. However, Bellevue closed the half on a 14-2 run which included scoring the final 10 points of the half in a span of just 2:41 to take a 49-33 lead into the locker room.

The second half featured more of the same as Bellevue prevented PC from closing the gap to less than 16. The Bruins grabbed their largest lead – 25 points – when Austin Moore hit a free throw with 7:01 to go to put BU up 83-58.

Jalen Hall paced the Bruins with 17 points while also dishing out a season- and game-high eight assists. Nick Hilton, courtesy of five first half trifectas, and Mike Cardenas, on the strength of four treys and a 3-for-3 effort from the line, each put up 15 points for BU.

Blake Wilder posted a strong all-around game with eight points, five rebounds, five assists, and a pair of blocked shots off the bench. Shelton Black provided 14 valuable minutes of the bench, chipping in with eight points, five rebounds, and a blocked shot of his own which were all career-highs.

Bellevue out-shot Presentation 53.8 percent (35-of-65) to 42.6 percent (26-of- 61) on the night and sank 43.3 percent (13-of-30) of their three-point attempts. The Bruins dominated on the glass, out-rebounding the Saints by a sizable 45-28 margin which lead to a 22-7 edge in second chance points.

The Bruins showed off their depth with the bench accounting for 39 points compared to just eight for Presentation.

Elijah Valdez led Presentation with 21 points while Minton added 15 and Marcus Holman dropped in 15.

The winner of Saturday's semi-final games will meet on Monday evening with the higher seed hosting. The Tournament Champion will earn an automatic bid to the NAIA Division II National Tournament on Mar. 8-14 at the College of the Ozarks' Keeter Gymnasium in Point Lookout, Mo.

NSAA Tournament Quarterfinal Results:

• #1 Bellevue def. #8 Presentation, 92-68
• #5 Dakota State def. #4 Viterbo, 56-52
• #3 Jamestown def. #6 Valley City, 95-87
• #2 Dickinson State def. #7 Waldorf, 73-67

NSAA Tournament Semi-Final Matchups:

• #5 Dakota State at #1 Bellevue | Saturday, 3 p.m.
• #3 Jamestown vs. #2 Dickinson State | Saturday, 4 p.m.

NSAA Tournament Championship Game:

• Semi-Final Winners, Monday at Higher Seed