No. 23 Rocky edges BU in top-two Frontier showdown, 73-69

Box Score
Frontier Standings

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Bellevue University fell 73-69 to No. 23 Rocky Mountain College in a matchup of the Frontier Conference's top two teams on Saturday night inside the BU Fieldhouse. With the loss, the Bruins dropped to 19-5 overall and 14-4 in Frontier play, while the Battlin' Bears improved to 21-3, 16-2, and now hold a two-game lead in the league standings.

Rocky Mountain featured four players in double figures, led by Royce Robinson's 20 points. Carter McCoy and Omari Nesbit added 15 points apiece, and Jacob Bilodeau finished with 14. JJ Montgomery paced Bellevue with 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting, including two shots from long range, and a 4-of-4 performance at the foul line. RJ Smith and Jaden Phillips each scored 12 points, while Ahamad Bynum added 10.

How it happened

Rocky Mountain used an 11-2 stretch midway through the first half to turn an 18-18 tie into a 29-20 advantage after Bilodeau's 3-pointer with five minutes, 13 seconds remaining. Bellevue responded by closing the period on a 9-0 run. Montgomery hit a 3-pointer and two free throws, Phillips scored in the lane, and Liam Thompson added a driving basket to send the teams into the locker room tied at 29-29.

The Battlin' Bears opened the second half with a 16-8 sequence to build a 45-37 cushion with 13:56 left, capped by two free throws from Robinson. The Bruins answered with a 10-2 rally to draw even at 47-47. Smith converted a three-point play and later added a free throw, while Bynum went four-of-four at the line and Phillips knocked down two free throws to pull BU even with 9:46 remaining.

After McCoy completed a three-point play and Robinson connected on a 3-pointer to push Rocky back in front, Bellevue climbed ahead for the first time on Bynum's 3-pointer from beyond the arc that made it 54-53 with 8:02 left. The teams traded baskets over the next several possessions, and a pair of drives from Smith and Thompson, followed by a fast-break layup by Jermaine Haliburton, gave the Bruins a 62-59 edge at the 4:55 mark.

Rocky Mountain answered at the stripe and in the paint. McCoy converted a three-point play to tie it at 62-62, Phillips responded with a 3-pointer for a 65-62 BU lead, and Thompson scored inside to make it 67-64 with 2:50 remaining. From there, the Battlin' Bears closed the game on a 9-2 run. Bilodeau and McCoy each hit jumpers, and Montgomery's free throws briefly put Bellevue back on top, 69-68, with 1:19 left. Nesbit's jumper with 52 seconds remaining put Rocky ahead to stay at 70-69, and he added a free throw before Kyle Jones knocked down two foul shots with three seconds left to account for the 73-69 final.

Top performers

Bellevue University

• JJ Montgomery – 14 points, 4-of-5 shooting, 2-of-3 on 3-pointers, 4-of-4 free throws

• RJ Smith – 12 points, team-high 8 rebounds, 5-of-11 from the field

• Jaden Phillips – 12 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

• Ahamad Bynum – 10 points, 3 assists, 2 steals

• Liam Thompson – 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks

• Jermaine Haliburton – 8 points on 4-of-6 shooting, 2 assists

Rocky Mountain College

• Royce Robinson – 20 points, 7-of-16 from the floor, 2-of-4 on 3-pointers, 4-of-4 at the line, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 steals

• Carter McCoy – 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, 4 rebounds

• Omari Nesbit – 15 points, 6-of-9 shooting, 5 assists

• Jacob Bilodeau – 14 points, 6-of-12 from the field, 2-of-5 on 3-pointers

Inside The Numbers

Rocky Mountain shot 46.7 percent from the field (28-of-60), 27.8 percent from beyond the arc (5-of-18), and 80.0 percent at the foul line (12-of-15). Bellevue finished at 52.1 percent overall (25-of-48), 44.4 percent from 3-point range (4-of-9) and 68.2 percent at the stripe (15-of-22). The Battlin' Bears held a 33-30 edge on the glass and committed only six turnovers, compared to 12 for the Bruins. BU owned a 40-36 advantage in points in the paint and a 13-4 margin in bench scoring.

Up Next

The Bruins will travel to Butte, Mont., next Friday, Feb. 13, for an 8 p.m. (CT) Frontier Conference matchup at 20th-ranked Montana Tech University.