Denly milestone highlights BU's arena-opening win over Vikings

Box Score
NSAA Standings

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Dave Denly secured his 500th career win as the BU women's basketball team rolled to a 78-63 victory over Valley City State University, kicking off play in the school's newest venue, the Bellevue University Fieldhouse, on Friday night in North Star Athletic Association action.

With the victory, the Bruins improved to 13-11 on the season and 5-7 in the NSAA. VCSU dropped to 13-12 overall and 5-8 in league play. 

Denly, who is in their ninth season at Bellevue and 26th season overall, owns a career mark of 500-284. He served as the head coach at Southwestern (Kan.) College for 17 seasons. 

Gabby Moore led the Bruins with 19 points, seven rebounds, and three steals. Kaylee Denker registered 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Ashtyn Arnold collected her team-leading eighth double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds. 

Abby Aslesen paced the Vikings with 14 points and eight boards. Olivia Backus added 12 points, and Madison Spacher finished with 10 points and four rebounds.  

Denker scored all 10 points in a 10-0 BU run as the Bruins built a 13-3 first-quarter advantage, ultimately taking a 15-7 lead after the opening 10 minutes of action. Denker (10) and Moore (5) scored all 15 of BU's points in the opening quarter. 

Neither team scored for the first three minutes of the second frame until a pair of 3-pointers by Dru Zoucha ignited a 15-5 Bruin surge, extending the margin to 18 points at 30-12 with 2:43 left before the intermission. The two teams traded buckets for the remainder of the quarter as BU took a 38-22 lead into the locker room. 

Moore led the Bruins in the first half with 11 points and five rebounds. Denker added 10 points, three rebounds, and a pair of assists. Zoucha registered seven points in the opening half with 2-of-3 shooting from long range. 

Aslesen paced the Vikings with nine points and five boards. Backus added seven points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field. 

After the Bruins scored the first five points of the second half to extend the edge to 21 points, VCSU battled back to within 16 at 46-30 following buckets by Backus and Ashlyn Diemert. The Bruins ended the quarter on a 14-7 run to take a commanding 60-37 lead heading into the final frame. 

A steal and a layup by Brandi Dunn sparked an 8-0 run as the Bruins pushed the margin to 29 points (68-39) with 6:50 left in the contest. The Vikings closed the game on a 24-10 run to slice the final deficit to 15 points, 78-63.  

The Bruins will host Mayville State University tomorrow (Feb. 15) at 3 p.m. in the BU Fieldhouse. The Bruins' six seniors, Ashtyn Arnold, Taylor Dement, Brandi Dunn, Aminah Hall, Josias Mickens, and Gabby Moore, will be honored following the game.