Bruins close BU/NCC Classic with 87-74 win over Tabor

Box Score
Tournament Site

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Four Bruins scored in double figures as the 14th-ranked Bellevue University men's basketball team finished the Bellevue University/Nebraska Christian Classic undefeated with an 87-74 victory over Tabor College in the final game of the tournament Saturday night at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. 

Bellevue improved to 2-3 on the season with the victory. Tabor fell to 1-2 overall. 

Jaron Dickson and Sequan Walker poured in 17 points apiece to lead the BU offense. Dickson hit 5-of-6 3-pointers and added six assists and five rebounds. Walker added five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Josh Lindsey-Hunter registered 13 points and four rebounds. Connor Dukes was the fourth Bruin in double figures, finishing with 11 points along with four rebounds and two assists. 

Ricky Battles led the Bluejays with 16 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Darnell Jones-Bowie and Deonte Cutliff added 14 points each for the Tabor offense.  

The Bruins nailed seven of their first 11 3-pointers to race out to a 27-15 lead in the first 12 minutes of the contest. After a layup by Walker gave the Bruins a 10-point advantage at the five-minute mark of the first half, Tabor closed the period on a 16-8 run including a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Tevin Berry to narrow the deficit to 43-41 at the intermission. 

BU shot 50 percent from the field in the opening half and was 10-of-19 from behind the arc, led by Dickson and Lindsey-Hunter's nine points. 

Cutliff led the Bluejays in the opening 20 minutes with 10 points and a pair of rebounds as the Bluejays also shot 50 percent from the field and drilled 6-of-10 3-pointers.  

Tabor opened the second half on a 13-7 run to take a 54-50 lead with 17 minutes remaining in the contest. The Bruins countered with a 20-point run over the next five minutes, sparked by eight points from Dukes to regain the lead at 70-54. 

The Bluejays got as close as 10 points following a layup by Tyrell Thompson, capping a 12-6 TC run, making it 76-66 at the 7:20 mark. The BU defense did not allow the Bluejays to cut the lead to single digits as BU cruised to the 87-74 victory. 

The Bruins drilled a season-high 18 3-pointers in the victory, nailing 56.3 percent of their attempts from behind the arc. BU also held a 36-26 advantage in rebounds in the win.  

Bellevue travels to Huntington, Ind. next Friday-Saturday, Nov. 9-10, to compete in the Ness Bros. Hall of Fame Tournament.