Bruins drop NSAA-opener on the road to Viterbo

LA CROSSE, Wis. -- Nick Hilton canned seven three-pointers and Jaffrey Stillman recorded a double-double but it wasn't enough as the Bellevue University men's basketball team fell to No. 21 Viterbo University, 77-69, on Friday evening in the first North Star Athletic Association game of the season for both schools.

Bellevue falls to 5-6 overall and opens the conference schedule 0-1, while Viterbo runs their mark to 6-3 overall and opens conference play 1-0. The game was Bellevue's second of three in a row against a ranked opponent and already their fifth of the season against such opposition.

The first half was tight as Bellevue and Viterbo headed into the intermission tied at 35-35. The V-Hawks led by as many as six points on multiple occasions in the first half but BU responded time after time.

The second half started out well for the Bruins who led by as many as five – at 47-42 – following a three-pointer from Hilton with 16:29 to play. BU led as late as the 11:55 mark, before a pair of free throws from Jared Fleischmann tied the game at 51-51. That came during a 16-0 V-Hawk run over a span of 4:23 which saw Viterbo turn a four-point deficit into a 63-51 lead with 8:30 to play.

The Bruins pulled within four, 73-69, on a Jalen Hall three-pointer with 19 seconds to play but Fleischmann connected on all four of his free throw attempts in a span of 10 seconds to secure the VU victory.

Hilton finished with a team-best 23 points on 7-of-14 shooting – all his field goals coming from behind the arc – and going 2-of-2 from the charity stripe. Stillman was an efficient 4-of-5 from the field en route to finishing with 10 points and game-high 10 rebounds.

The Bruins were out-shot across the board but the largest discrepancy came at the free throw line where Viterbo hit on 22-of-32 attempts (68.8 percent) and Bellevue made just 14-of-28 tries (50.0 percent).

Ethan Haberman scored a game-high 26 points for the V-Hawks who had three players finish in double figures. He was joined offensively by Jake Bamke (18 points) and Fleischmann (12 points). Cade Anderson contributed eight points and 10 rebounds off the bench for Viterbo.

Bellevue returns to the hardwood on Tuesday, Dec. 6 with a 7 p.m. tip-off against No. 25 Briar Cliff University at the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center. The game will also serve as the Bruins' Military Appreciation Night with pre-game ceremonies as well as a halftime tribute.