Bruins cruise past Mission, 104-74, to remain unbeaten

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BELLEVUE, Neb. -- The Bellevue University men's basketball team built an early double-digit lead and never looked back, rolling to a 104-74 win over Mission University on Saturday evening inside the BU Fieldhouse to close out the Fairfield by Marriott Downtown Classic.

Three Bruins finished in double figures and five scored at least eight points as Bellevue (5-0) eclipsed the 100-point mark for the second-straight game and continued its hot start to the season. Senior center RJ Smith led the way with 19 points on a perfect 9-of-9 shooting and 11 rebounds for his second double-double of the year. Senior guards Ahamad Bynum and Jaden Phillips added 23 and 22 points, respectively, while Mathok Mathok and Deng Jal chipped in eight and nine off the bench.

The Bruins came out firing, opening the contest with an 11-0 run fueled by 3-pointers from Bynum and Phillips and a pair of inside buckets by Smith. Mission cut the margin to 25-14 midway through the first half, but Bellevue quickly reasserted control, using balanced scoring and transition baskets to stretch the lead to 53-33 at halftime. Smith and Phillips each tallied 14 points in the opening half as BU shot 52 percent from the field.

Bynum buried consecutive threes early in the second half to push the advantage past 25 points, and JJ Montgomery's triple moments later made it 64-37. The Bruins led by as many as 36 points following back-to-back long-range makes from Jayden Herrera and Connor Mohr, and the outcome was never in doubt down the stretch.

Bellevue shot 53.8 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from 3-point range (16-of-35), while outscoring Mission 52-36 in the paint and converting 20 Patriot turnovers into 24 points. The Bruins also handed out 25 assists on 42 made field goals and held Mission to just 44.8 percent shooting overall.

Mission (1-4) was led by Clifford Barrow with 17 points, while Justin Gill added 16 points and 12 rebounds.

With the victory, Bellevue improves to 5-0, scoring 100 or more points in consecutive games while averaging 99.0 points per contest this season.

The Bruins return to action on Saturday, Nov. 15, opening Frontier Conference play at home against Dakota State University at 4 p.m. inside the BU Fieldhouse.