Bruins cap season with 78–48 win over Blue Hawks

Box Score
Frontier Standings

BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Bellevue University closed its 2025-26 season with a 78–48 Frontier Conference women's basketball victory over Dickinson State University on Saturday evening at the BU Fieldhouse.

With the win, the Bruins finished the year 10–17 overall and 6–16 in Frontier Conference play. The Blue Hawks ended their season at 7–19, 5–17 in league games. BU led 40–22 at halftime, pushed the advantage to as many as 30 points in the fourth quarter, and never trailed.

The Bruins shot 38.6 percent from the field (27-for-70), 36.7 percent from 3-point range (11-for-30) and 86.7 percent at the free-throw line (13-for-15), while holding DSU to 29.5 percent shooting (18-for-61), including 4-for-16 from beyond the arc. Bellevue also owned a 49–42 rebounding edge and finished with 18 assists against just seven turnovers, compared to 11 assists and 15 turnovers for the Blue Hawks.

Zakiyyah Muhammad led BU with a game-high 24 points, adding eight rebounds, two blocks, and a steal while going 6-for-13 from the field, 1-for-2 from deep, and a perfect 11-for-11 at the line. Drasoni Kyles poured in 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting, including 5-for-7 from 3-point range, and added five rebounds and two steals. Karoline Ellison contributed 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, and a steal, and Joy Beran chipped in eight points and six boards.

Off the bench, Jhanel Coleman and Emma Russell each grabbed six rebounds, with Coleman scoring four points and Russell adding five. Following the contest, the Bruins honored Russell, the team's lone senior, in a postgame ceremony.

How It Happened

Muhammad set the tone early, earning a trip to the line on BU's opening possession and knocking down two free throws. After DSU briefly tied the game at 2–2, Kyles answered with a 3-pointer from the left wing to make it 5–2. The Bruins continued to build momentum as Muhammad and Kyles combined for 11 of BU's first 16 points, with Beran adding a 3-pointer from the top of the key for a 16–7 advantage.

Dickinson State trimmed the margin to 18–10 and later 21–12 behind trips to the free-throw line, but the Bruins closed the quarter strong. Beran split a pair of free throws at the 1:28 mark, and Muhammad converted two free throws with seven seconds left in the period to give BU a 23–12 lead after 10 minutes.

Bellevue stretched the lead in the second quarter with a series of perimeter and paint scores. Kyles drilled a transition 3-pointer at the 8:38 mark to push the margin to 28–14, and Ellison knocked down a jumper in the lane to make it 35–17 with 4:27 remaining. Moments later, Dru Zoucha connected on a 3-pointer from the right side for a 38–17 cushion, and Tarryn Godsey scored on a layup to cap a 17–5 stretch and extend the advantage to 40–17. A late 3-pointer by DSU's Karson Tempel cut the margin to 40–22 at the break.

The Bruins continued to control the game coming out of halftime. Kyles opened the third quarter with back-to-back 3-pointers, stretching the lead to 46–24. After a Dickinson State triple, Muhammad responded by sinking two free throws for a 48–27 advantage. Kyles then hit her fifth 3-pointer of the night to make it 51–29 midway through the period.

Ellison added a driving layup to push the margin to 57–33 with 1:41 left in the third, and Coleman's jumper in the final 30 seconds of the quarter sent BU to the fourth with a 63–37 lead.

In the final period, Zoucha opened the scoring with a 3-pointer from the right wing to make it 66–37. The Blue Hawks answered with a 3-pointer from Allie Kohn and a pair of baskets to draw within 68–44, but the Bruins responded again. Ellison buried a 3-pointer at the 3:26 mark to extend the advantage to 73–46, and Russell capped the scoring and her BU career by knocking down a 3-pointer from the left side with 2:44 remaining for the final 78–48 margin.

Top Performers

Bellevue University

• Zakiyyah Muhammad — 24 points, 8 rebounds, 6-for-13 FG, 1-for-2 3FG, 11-for-11 FT, 2 blocks, 1 steal

• Drasoni Kyles — 18 points, 5 rebounds, 6-for-10 FG, 5-for-7 3FG, 2 steals

• Karoline Ellison — 11 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 5-for-8 FG, 1-for-1 3FG

• Joy Beran — 8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 3-pointer, 1-for-2 FT

• Jhanel Coleman — 4 points, 6 rebounds, 2-for-4 FG

Dickinson State University

• Kyrie Alldredge — 8 points, 7 rebounds, 3-for-12 FG, 1-for-5 3FG

• Allie Kohn — 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2-for-5 FG, 1-for-4 3FG, 3-for-4 FT

• J'ell Garfield — 7 points, 6 rebounds, 2 steals, 3-for-9 FG, 1-for-3 3FG

• Izzy Kelly — 7 points, 5 rebounds, 2-for-6 FG, 3-for-3 FT

• Karson Tempel — 7 points, 2 rebounds, 3-for-10 FG, 1-for-1 3FG

Inside the Numbers

• Bellevue shot 38.6 percent from the field (27-for-70), 36.7 percent from 3-point range (11-for-30) and 86.7 percent at the line (13-for-15).

• DSU finished at 29.5 percent from the floor (18-for-61), 25.0 percent from deep (4-for-16) and 61.5 percent at the stripe (8-for-13).

• The Bruins held a 49–42 rebounding advantage, including 14 offensive boards, and finished with an 18–11 edge in assists.

• BU committed just seven turnovers while forcing 15 by the Blue Hawks.

• Quarter scoring favored the Bruins 23–12, 17–10, 23–15, and 15–11.

• With her 6-for-13 effort from the field, Muhammad closed the season shooting 52.4 percent, the top single-season field goal percentage in school history.

• Russell finished the year with 49 made 3-pointers, 12th on the BU single-season list, and a 38.0 percent 3-point percentage, which ranks seventh in program history.

• On the Bruin career charts, Muhammad ends the season ranked first in field goal percentage (49.6), fourth in free throws made (192), 10th in scoring (665 points), second in offensive rebounds (238), seventh in defensive rebounds (282), sixth in total rebounds (520), and second in career blocks (94).

• Russell ranks second in school history in career 3-point field-goal percentage at 36.1 percent.

Up Next

The contest marks the final game of the Bruins' 2025-26 season.