Bruins fall in hard-fought battle with No. 12 MSU, 68-66

Box Score
NSAA Standings

MAYVILLE, S.D. -- In a game that featured seven ties and eight lead changes, the Bellevue University women's basketball team dropped a hard-fought battle at Mayville State University, falling 68-66 Saturday afternoon in North Star Athletic Association action at the Lewy Lee Fieldhouse. 

The loss dropped the Bruins to 10-15 on the season and 3-7 in the NSAA. MSU improved to 20-3 overall and 9-1 in league play. 

Gabby Moore led the Bruins with 19 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field. She was 3-of-7 from beyond the arc. 

Ashtyn Arnold added 18 points, nine rebounds, and two steals. Kaylee Denker finished with a double-double, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. 

Jordan Zrust paced the Comets with 21 points, 11 rebounds, and three assists. MacKenzie Huges came off the bench to score 17 points. Jes Mertens added 15 points and five boards. 

Despite shooting just 36.7 percent from the field, MSU took advantage at the charity stripe, finishing 27-of-36 from the free throw line, compared to the Bruins' 5-of-9 effort. 

The Bruins built an early 6-1 lead, holding the Comets without a field goal for the first seven minutes of the contest. MSU scored its first five points off free throws and tied the game at 8-8 on a 3-pointer from Hughes. After trading baskets for the next two minutes, a deep triple by Delaney VanBlaricon at the buzzer gave BU a 16-15 edge after the opening 10 minutes of play.  

Eight straight points by Mertens keyed an 11-4 MSU run to open the second quarter as the Comets gained a 26-20 advantage. Hughes scored six straight points to extend the margin to 10 points at 32-22 with four minutes left in the first half. 

The Bruins closed the half on an 8-2 run, holding the Comets without a field goal for the final 4:34 of the quarter, as MSU took a 34-30 lead into the halftime break. 

Arnold led BU in the first half with eight points and four rebounds. Moore and VanBlaricon added six points apiece in the opening half. 

Hughes paced the Comets in the opening 20 minutes of play with 11 points and a pair of boards. Zrust added eight points and five rebounds. 

A pair of 3-pointers by Moore and two layups by Denker sparked a 10-2 BU run to open the second half as the Bruins took a 40-38 lead with 6:53 left in the third frame. The two teams traded baskets for the remainder of the quarter as MSU took a slim 50-49 lead heading into the final stanza. 

Neither team scored for the first 2:30 of the fourth quarter until a 3-pointer by Arnold gave the Bruins a 52-50 advantage. A 3-point play by Zrust started a 9-0 MSU run, giving the Comets a 63-54 lead with 2:43 remaining in the game. 

The Bruins countered with four straight points by Decker to make it a five-point contest (63-58) at the 1:32 mark. A 3-pointer by Moore cut the lead to four points at 67-63 with 36 seconds remaining. 

After Hughes missed a pair of free throws, Arnold drained a 3-pointer from the corner to pull the Bruins to within one at 67-66 with 12 ticks left on the clock. Hughes made 1-of-2 free shots to make it 68-66 with 10 seconds left. 

Denker missed a deep 3-pointer at the buzzer as MSU escaped with the dramatic two-point victory.  

The Bruins return home next Friday, Feb. 16, when they host Dickinson State University at 5:30 p.m. in the Gordon Lozier Athletic Center.