VanBlaricon leads BU to OT victory at Dickinson

Box Score
NSAA Standings

DICKINSON, N.D. -- Senior Delaney VanBlaricon came off the bench to score a season-high 17 points in leading the Bellevue University women's basketball team to a 66-57 overtime victory at Dickinson State University Friday night in North Star Athletic Association action at Scott Gymnasium.

The win improved the Bruins to 8-9 on the season and 1-1 in the NSAA. Dickinson fell to 5-10 overall and 0-1 in league play. 

VanBlaricon connected on four 3-points while going 6-of-15 from the field and adding four rebounds. 

Brandi Dunn added 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the field. She added three assists and a pair of boards. Gabby Moore was the third Bruin in double figures, finishing with 12 points, along with six boards and three assists. 

Samantha Oase led the Blue Hawks with a double-double, finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds, along with five blocked shots. Kayden Steele added 12 points and seven rebounds. Heather Labree finished with 10 points and five boards.  

After the Blue Hawks scored the first five points of the contest, the Bruins went on a 9-2 run, including six-straight, to gain a 9-7 advantage.  DSU used a 6-0 spurt to surge ahead by four points before a basket by Shelby Little made it a two-point contest at 15-13 after the opening 10 minutes of play. 

Dunn led BU in the first quarter with seven points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field. Kayden Steele paced the Blue Hawks with seven points and two boards in the opening quarter. 

The Bruins opened the second frame with seven-straight points capped by a long 3-pointer from VanBlaricon to take a five-point lead at 20-15. After DSU countered with a 4-0 run to draw to within one point, the Bruins responded with triples by VanBlaricon, Dunn, and Moore that sparked a 14-6 run to close the half, as BU took a 34-25 lead at the break.

Dunn led BU in the first half with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting from the field and a 2-of-3 effort from beyond the arc. Moore, Zakiyyah Muhammad, and VanBlaricon had six points apiece. 

Steele paced the Blue Hawks with 10 points and three boards in the first half. 

The Bruins opened the third stanza on a 9-2 run to push ahead by 16 points at 43-27 following a jumper in the paint by Kaylee Denker midway through the quarter. DSU responded with a 10-2 run, including four-straight by Samantha Oase, to pull the Blue Hawks to within eight points at 45-37. Another 3-pointer by Van Blaricon gave the Bruins an 11-point lead (48-37) heading into the final frame. 

Two straight buckets by Katherine Fox and a pair of free throws by Tinley Pierson made it a single-digit contest at 50-43 with 6:41 left in the game.

After Moore countered with four straight to make it an 11-point game, the Blue Hawks drew to within one point following a 10-0 run, making it 54-53 at the 1:20 mark. 

VanBlaricon hit 1-of-2 free throws to give BU a 55-53 edge with 28 seconds remaining in the contest. A wide-open layup by Steele tied the game at 55 apiece with six seconds left in regulation. 

VanBlaricon missed a driving layup at the buzzer to force the overtime period.  

A layup by Dunn snapped a five-minute field-goal drought for the Bruins, giving BU a 57-55 lead with 3:43 left in the extra period. VanBlaricon made it a five-point game after draining a deep triple to give BU a 62-57 margin at the 1:12 mark. 

The Bruins made 4-of-6 free throws down the stretch to seal the 66-57 victory.  

Bellevue will travel to Valley City, N.D., on Saturday (Jan. 13) for a 3 p.m. NSAA contest at Valley City State University.