Bruins claw past Stritch, 83-74

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- Paulo Araujo again led the way and scored or assisted the final nine points as the Bellevue University men's basketball team outlasted feisty Cardinal Stritch University 83-74 on Saturday afternoon in the final game of the Gundersen Hotel & Suites Viterbo Invitational.

Bellevue improves to 5-3, with their third win in four games while Stritch remains winless, falling to 0-6 on the year.

An 0-for-4 shooting start saw Bellevue fall behind 6-0 in the opening minutes. The Wolves pushed their lead to as many as 10 points, 31-21 on a three-pointer by Gregory Wells with 6:01 left in the half.

Bellevue closed the half strong, out-scoring CSU 23-5 in the final 5:38, making seven-straight shots from the field, going 5-of-7 at the stripe, and turning the ball over just once during that stretch.

Overall, the Bruins shot 16-25 in the first half and canned 6-of-9 treys. Paulo Araujo led all players with 15 at the half. Wells countered with 12 for the Wolves who shot and efficient 47% in the period.

The second half featured numerous runs by both teams as the game featured nine lead changes and six tied. BU led by as many as nine in the second half before falling behind by five, 63-58 with 8:38 left.

Second chance points were crucial for Stritch as the Wolves out-rebounded Bellevue 36-23, including 16-4 on the offensive glass which turned into a 17-2 advantage in second chance points.

Raydden Grobe buried a three-pointer that Stritch answered with a Darren Ford layup to go back ahead by two possessions, 65-61. Justin Motley kicked off an 8-0 Bruin run with a free throw as Bellevue took a 69-65 lead.

Martis Johnson and Isaac Hill traded baskets before Vinny Belcaster hit a deep triple to put the Bruins back ahead by six, 74-68.

Aris Duni tied the game at 74-all before Araujo put Bellevue ahead to stay with a quick move that opened up a wide-open path to the basket for a layup.

After a missed shot by Stritch, Bellevue ran the clock down and Christian Carter drained a three at the shot clock buzzer to put the Bruins up 79-74 with just 35 seconds left in the game. A steal and layup before a pair of free throws, all by Araujo, sealed the 83-73 victory.

Araujo finished with 24 points to lead all players in addition to grabbing five rebounds, dishing out five assists, registering three steals, and blocking a shot. Belcaster and Carter contributed 13 points apiece for BU with Motley the fourth Bruin in double figures with 10 points. Grobe connected on 3-of-5 three-pointers to finish with nine points.

As a team, Bellevue hit on 11-of-18 three-pointers and shot 60% for the game while Stritch tried to keep pace, hitting on 48% of their field goals and 7-of-17 treys.

Wells led Cardinal Stritch scoring 21 points before fouling out with three minutes to play. Duni added 20 and Isaac Hill threw in 13 as the trio combined for 54 points.

Bellevue is back in action next weekend with a pair of games at Columbia College's Hampton Inn Thanksgiving Classic. BU faces host Columbia at 7 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 25 before facing off with Hannibal-LaGrange at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 26.