Big second half lifts BU over Warriors in 1st Round of NSAA Tournament

Box Score
NSAA Tournament Site

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The second-seeded Bellevue University women's basketball team outscored No. 7 Waldorf University, 43-23, in the second half, en route to a convincing 74-47 victory in the opening round of the North Star Athletic Association Tournament Tuesday night at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. 

The Bruins (16-6) will host No. 6 Dickinson State University at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25, in the NSAA Semifinals at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. Dickinson State upset No. 3 Viterbo, 59-54, in other first-round action Tuesday evening.

Waldorf ended its season with a 1-19 overall record.  

The championship game is set for Saturday, Feb. 27, at 3 p.m. at the highest remaining seed. The winner of the NSAA Tournament will earn an automatic berth into the NAIA National Tournament. 

Elexis Martinez led the Bruins with 17 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field while adding five rebounds and a pair of assists. Faith Ross added 14 points, five rebounds, and two assists. Taeha Pankey went 5-of-6 from the field and 3-of-3 from long range, scoring 13 points, while adding four assists and three boards. Jamie Winkler finished with seven points, five assists, and five rebounds. 

Tina Lair-VanMeter paced the Warriors with 16 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Nichole Oberthien added 11 points, five boards, and four assists.  

Martinez hit her first four shots, scoring nine points in the first five minutes, helping the Bruins to an early 13-10 lead, before BU settled for a 15-12 advantage after the opening 10 minutes of play. Lair-VanMeter led the Warriors with six first-quarter points. 

The Bruins missed all six of their 3-point attempts in the first quarter while WU was 1-of-8 from long range. 

After a 3-pointer by Oberthien gave the Warriors their first lead of the game at 21-19 with 7:24 left in the second, the Bruins closed the half on a 12-3 run to take a 31-24 advantage into the intermission. 

Martinez led the Bruins in the first half with 13 points on 6-of-8 shooting from the field. Ross added eight points and four rebounds. 

Lair-VanMeter paced WU in the opening half with eight points and four boards. 

Waldorf was able to stay within striking distance in the first half after hitting three triples, compared to the Bruins' 0-of-7 effort from behind the arc. 

Two 3-pointers by Pankey sparked a 14-4 run to start the second half, expanding the BU cushion to 17 points (45-28) with 4:52 remaining in the third. 

WU scored the final four points of the quarter to reduce the BU lead to 49-35 heading into the final stanza.  

Pankey scored the Bruins' first five points of the fourth frame, as BU opened the quarter on a 16-8 spurt, capped by a 3-pointer from Winkler, giving the Bruins a 65-43 edge at the 5:37 mark.  

Waldorf never got closer than 18 points the remainder of the contest as BU closed the game on a 9-0 run to cruise to the 74-47 victory.