Bruins suffer first NSAA defeat, 67-59 at #6 Dakota State

MADISON, S.D. -- Bellevue led by as many as 11 points late in the second quarter before dropping a 67-59 North Star Athletic Association contest on the road at No. 6-ranked Dakota State University on Saturday afternoon at the DSU Memorial Fieldhouse.

The victory extends the Trojans' win streak to nine games as DSU improves to 11-3 overall and 3-0 in conference play. The Bruins fall to 10-5 overall and 2-1 in NSAA play.

Bellevue found themselves in front early, 4-1, and again when Gabby Moore hit her first of two free throws in the opening quarter. Olivia Ritter and Bria Wasmund drained threes on consecutive possessions for the Trojans to turn a 7-5 deficit into an 11-7 lead. BU held DSU without a field goal over the final 5:11 of the half, with a Cierra Watkins free throw accounting for the final point of the period. With Bellevue trailing by two and the shot clock running down, Ashtyn Arnold hit a floater in the lane to tie the game with 1:02 to play for the final points of the first, tying the score at 12-all.

Arnold put the Bruins ahead with the first basket of the second quarter, and Tabor Teel answered with a pair of free throws for the Trojans. Bellevue responded with eight-straight points in 3:48 of game action that featured two more treys from Moore and a pair of free throws from Arnold before a BU timeout with 4:30 remaining in the half. Moore buried her fifth three at 2:46 to give BU their first double-digit lead, 25-14 before Angela Slattery snapped a drought of 12:51 without a field goal with a put-back lay-up. That keyed a 9-0 Dakota State run before Kaylee Denker hit a free throw. Wasmund drained an off-balance three-pointer to tie the game at 26 headed into halftime.

Moore led all players with 15 at the break, and Arnold added eight and four rebounds for the Bruins. Wasmund paced DSU with 11, and Slattery added six in the opening 20 minutes. Neither team shot especially well, with Bellevue hitting at a 33% clip and Dakota State connecting at 32%. Moore and Wasmund combined for eight of the nine made threes in the first half, with Ritter accounting for the other.

Arnold sank a pair of free throws for the Bruins to open the third quarter before a 12-0 DSU run, including eight-straight from Slattery around bookend baskets from Wasmund, gave the host Trojans a 10-point advantage. With the lead pushing to as many as 11 following a Simmons trifecta, Bellevue chipped away with a 10-3 run over the final 4:13 of the third to pull within four points, 46-42, heading into the fourth quarter. Denker scored the final six points of the run.

Bellevue cut it to a one-possession game at the 7:40 mark when Dru Zoucha connected on all three free throw attempts after drawing a foul on a three-point attempt from the wing to make it a 50-47 game. The DSU lead bounced between 3-5 until a triple from Slattery at the 5:11 mark put the Trojans up 55-49. Josias Mickens responded with a driving layup at the other end before Ritter flipped a layup up over her head for a 57-51 advantage. After Wasmund made a layup to put the Trojans up eight, Brandi Dunn had a look at a corner three, but it rimmed out, and DSU sank 4-of-6 free throws in the final 41 seconds to seal the win.

Arnold notched a double-double, her fifth of the season, finishing with 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Bruins. Moore added 15, and Denker chipped in 13 to go along with five boards, joining Arnold in double figures. Mickens dished out seven assists to go with her four points.

Wasmund led DSU with a game-high 23 points for the Trojans, while Slattery added 22 as the duo combined for eight three-pointers to lead the Trojans. Tabor Teel added six points, seven rebounds, and five assists, and Ritter tossed in seven and grabbed six boards off the bench.
Bellevue finished the game at 38% from the field but went 0-for-7 from three in the second half. Dakota State shot 37% for the game and finished 10-of-34 from deep.

Bellevue travels to Jamestown, N.D., on Friday, Jan. 10, for a 5:30 p.m. tip against #24 University of Jamestown (12-1/2-0 NSAA) from Harold Newman Arena.