Valley City State closes strong to edge Bruins, 85-81

The Bruins led 74-72 with just over four minutes remaining before the Vikings mounted a decisive closing stretch. Joel Nelson hit a pair of 3-pointers, and JR Cison added a key jumper and free throws down the stretch, while Liam Thompson's right-wing 3-pointer with 8.1 seconds left pulled BU within 84-81 before VCSU sealed the result at the foul line.

Ahamad Bynum scored 20 points to pace the Bruins, who fell to 18-4 overall and 13-3 in Frontier play. The Vikings improved to 9-12, 5-11 in the league behind 19 points from Nelson and 20 from Cison. The Bruins shot 51.6 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from beyond the arc, but VCSU countered at 47.0 percent overall, 52.9 percent from long range, and 14-of-18 at the line. 

How It Happened

Bynum sparked BU early, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers in the opening minutes, and added two more from beyond the arc later in the half. Deng Jal came off the bench to bury three 3-pointers of his own, helping the Bruins overcome several small VCSU leads and move in front 27-25.

Mathok Mathok provided an interior lift with eight first-half points, including a late basket that helped BU maintain a narrow edge. After Nelson's driving score brought the Vikings within one in the final seconds, Bynum answered with a jumper before Caden Grinde closed the half with a layup, trimming the Bruins' advantage to 39-38 at the break.

Bynum opened the second half with a runner, and buckets from JJ Montgomery and Jal pushed BU ahead 45-41. The teams then traded the lead repeatedly. A Thompson finish in the lane and a 3-pointer from Jaden Phillips kept the Bruins in front, and Phillips' second 3-pointer of the half made it 60-58.

RJ Smith's layup gave BU a 72-69 lead with just over five minutes remaining. After Nelson answered from beyond the arc, Mathok scored inside for a 74-72 edge, the Bruins' final lead. Nelson immediately responded with another 3-pointer, and Cison's mid-range jumper and two free throws, combined with two free throws from Logan Deal, pushed the Vikings ahead 79-76 entering the final minute.

Cison's driving basket extended the margin to 81-76 with under a minute left, and two more free throws made it 83-76. Mathok scored through traffic to bring BU within five before Cison hit another free throw to make it 84-78. Thompson then drilled a 3-pointer from the right wing off an offensive rebound and kick-out to cut the deficit to 84-81 with 8.1 seconds remaining.

The Bruins forced a missed front end of a one-and-one with three seconds left to gain another chance, but Smith's free throw with 1.7 seconds left would not fall. After VCSU secured the rebound, Alex Lester split a pair of free throws with 0.7 seconds remaining to provide the final four-point margin.

Top Performers

Bellevue University

• Ahamad Bynum: 20 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

• Mathok Mathok: 14 points (7-of-9 FG), 6 rebounds

• Deng Jal: 13 points, 3-of-4 on 3-pointers, 2 rebounds

• Jaden Phillips: 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

• RJ Smith: 8 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals

• JJ Montgomery: 7 points, 5 assists, 2 rebounds

Valley City State University

• Jr Cison: 20 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals

• Joel Nelson: 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting, 4-of-5 on 3-pointers, 6 rebounds

• Kaleb Larson: 12 points, 6 rebounds

• Caden Grinde: 8 points, 3 assists, 2 steals

• Taylor Bryant-Frey: 8 points, 4 rebounds off the bench

Inside the Numbers

• BU finished 33-of-64 from the field (51.6 percent) and 11-of-26 from beyond the arc, while VCSU went 31-of-66 overall (47.0 percent) and 9-of-17 from long range.

• The Vikings held a 35-33 edge on the glass, including a 10-8 advantage in offensive rebounds.

• Valley City State owned a 14-4 edge in made free throws (14-of-18 to BU's 4-of-7).

• Points in the paint were even at 28-28, while the Bruins held a 15-10 edge in points off turnovers and a 27-21 advantage in bench scoring.

Up Next

The Bruins will return home next Friday, Feb. 6, when they battle Carroll College beginning at 7 p.m. inside the BU Fieldhouse.