No. 9 CUNE holds off Bruins in high-profile match-up

SEWARD, Neb. -- Elexis Martinez paced four Bruins in double figures but it wasn't quite enough as the (RV) Bellevue University women's basketball team fell to No. 9-ranked Concordia University, 77-71, on Monday evening at Friedrich Arena.

Bellevue slips to 1-1 on the season while Concordia, playing their season-opener, begins the season 1-0.

Taysha Rushton scored a game-high 32 points and sank 9-of-11 free throws for the Bulldogs. Abby Heemstra joined her in double figures with 11 and Bailey Conrad scored six points while dishing out eight assists.

Elexis Martinez scored 16 and pulled down 12 boards for a double-double while Faith Ross scored 15, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out three assists. Asha Scott chipped in 11 points and six rebounds off the bench and Taeha Pankey scored 10 points, grabbed three rebounds, and added a trio of assists.

Concordia used their full court press to get off to a strong start, forcing a couple early turnovers en route to scoring the first seven points of the game and taking an early 13-4 lead. Rushton scored 12 of her points in the opening frame, as CUNE took a 27-19 lead after one period.

The Bruins found their footing early in the second quarter. Trailing 30-19, BU engineered a 15-4 run to tie the game at 34-all on a basket by Martinez. Sadie Powell hit a trey with 36 seconds to play in the half to put Concordia up five before Ashtyn Arnold answered with a three for Bellevue.

Rushton sank a pair of free throws in the waning seconds of the half, but Bellevue grabbed some momentum headed into the locker room as Taeha Pankey's half court heave banked off the backboard and in as the Bruins trailed 44-43 at the intermission.

BU struck first in the second half to take their first lead of the game, 45-44, on a layup by Pankey. The score stayed tight with Concordia maintaining a 4-6 point lead for the majoring of the quarter and taking a 61-57 advantage into the fourth.

Six-straight Concordia points in the fourth quarter gave the home side a 10-point lead with 7:32 remaining. Trailing 74-64, the Bruins used a 6-0 run of their own to cut the deficit to four with 2:38 to play. Scott converted an and-one and Laura Jurek sank a three-pointer to give the Bruins life.

The Bruins were able to get a couple defensive stops late but were unable to parlay that into points at the offensive end and Concordia held on for the victory.

Bellevue out-shot CUNE 48-41.5 percent and hit on 10-of-26 three-pointers. However, 19 turnovers to the Bulldogs' six turned into a 22-8 advantage at the other end for Concordia that proved to be a significant factor in the game.

The Bruins return home this weekend for a pair of games in the Chick-fil-A Classic. BU hosts Midland University (2-0) at 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 5 before squaring off with College of St. Mary (3-0) at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 6.