Bruins honored at NSAA Postseason Banquet

WATERTOWN, S.D. -- The North Star Athletic Association Regular Season co-champion men's and women's basketball teams were recognized on Friday evening along with individuals receiving NSAA honors at the annual NSAA Awards Banquet held at the Ramkota Inn & Suites Watertown Event Center.

The Bellevue University women's team recorded an 11-3 record in league play to earn a share of the regular-season title with Mayville State. The Comets won both head-to-head meetings to grab the top seed in the tournament, dropping BU to the No. 2-seed.

Two Bruins picked up all-conference nods as sophomore Elexis Martinez was named a first team selection and freshman Faith Ross was named to the second team. Senior Morgan Cuffe was cited as an honorable mention selection.

Martinez, last year's NSAA Newcomer of the Year, is currently pacing the Bruins in both scoring (14.2 points per game) and rebounding (6.7 rebounds per game). She shares the team lead with 37 blocked shots and leads the club with a field goal percentage of 47.2 percent and is shooting 72.1 percent from the charity stripe.

Ross, who also picked up NSAA Newcomer of the Year honors, was one of just two freshman cited in the awards program and is averaging 11.4 points per game and leads the team in both three-pointers (78) and three-point field goal percentage (43.3 percent). She's dished out 51 assists, swiped 45 steals, and swatted 16 shots on the season.

Cuffe is the third Bruin averaging in double figures at 11.1 points per game to go along with 4.2 rebounds per contest. She leads the team in free throw shooting (79.0 percent) among qualifiers, is tied for the team lead in blocked shots (37), and is second among qualifiers in field goal percentage (44.3 percent).

Senior Shayla Dean was named NSAA Defensive Player of the Year. Dean has racked up 53 steals and is averaging over 3.0 rebounds per game from her point guard position and is constantly harassing the other team's primary ball-handler.

Bellevue squares off against Valley City State on Saturday in one NSAA semifinal game with a spot in the finals on the line against the winner of Mayville State-Presentation on Sunday.

The Bellevue University men's team posted an 11-3 mark in NSAA play and shared the regular-season title with Presentation. The Bruins earned the top seed in the NSAA Tournament based by virtue of sweeping the season series against No. 3-seed Mayville State.

A pair of Bruins picked up second team all-NSAA honors. Senior Sequan Walker and junior Justin Bessard.

Walker, the team's leading scorer at 13.1 points per game, has been an efficient shooter hitting at a 44.9 percent clip from the floor, 39.1 percent from deep, and 79.1 percent from the free throw line. He leads the team in three-pointers made (66) and assists (80) while ranking second in both steals (37) and third in rebounding (4.5 per game).

Bessard is second on the team averaging 11.6 points and 4.6 rebound per game while hitting on 52.8 percent of his field goal attempts, including 39.0 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. His scoring and rebounding numbers each improved in conference play where he averaged a team-leading 13.4 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

Bellevue faces Dickinson State on Saturday in the NSAA semifinals where the winner meets the winner of the other semifinal featuring Mayville State and Presentation.

Additionally, two Bruins earned recognition as NSAA Champions of Character. On the men's side, Connor Dukes received the award while Shanae Collins was the women's recipient.