Balance buoys Bruins past NWU, 76-69

LINCOLN, Neb. -- Stepping out of conference play for the final time this season, the Bellevue University women's basketball team out-scored Nebraska Wesleyan University 25-10 over the final 6:57 to erase an eight-point fourth quarter deficit as they picked up a 76-69 victory.

The victory sees Bellevue even their record at 4-4 while the Prairie Wolves slip to 2-4.

How It Happened:

Bellevue raced to a 12-point lead midway through the first quarter. With the score tied at 7-all, Drasoni Kyles buried a triple to key a 12-0 Bruin run in a span of just 2:47 that also saw Danielle Coyer, Dru Zoucha, and Taylee Wharton connect from downtown. Bellevue led by a dozen, 26-14, after one after Emma Russell canned BU's seventh three-pointer of the quarter with 44 seconds play.

Nebraska Wesleyan needed just 2:21 to tie the game in the second quarter after Carney Black sparked a 12-0 run for the Prairie Wolves. Coyer stymied the momentum with a layup after Peyton Tritz tied things up. Black gave the hosts their first lead of the game, 33-31, at the 4:13 mark with a lay-in of her own. Consecutive buckets around the two-minute mark from Joy Beran and Zakiyyah Muhammad put the Bruins up a point, but NWU rattled off the final five points of the half to take a 41-37 lead into the break.

The defenses took over in the third quarter. Bellevue scored the first seven points of the second half to regain the lead 44-41 at the 7:48 mark and held Nebraska Wesleyan without a field goal for nearly five minutes. The Prairie Wolves managed just seven points in the stanza as the Bruins took a three-point lead into the fourth quarter.

NWU stormed out of the quarter break, scoring 11-straight points to take what appeared to be a commanding 59-51 lead with 7:09 left in the game. Zoucha canned a trifecta to kick-start a 9-0 Bruin run as Bellevue regained the advantage, 60-59, with 5:01 to play on an old-fashioned three-point play by Kaylee Denker. The teams traded baskets before Russell put the Bruins ahead for good with a three-pointer with 3:04 to play. Beran gave BU a three-point lead with a layup in the final minute and Kyles converted a three-point play with 16 seconds remaining before Denker iced the game with a pair of free throws with four seconds left.

Top Performers:

Bellevue University

Joy Beran: 11 points, 5-8 (FG), 5 rebounds, 2 blocks

Drasoni Kyles: 11 points, 3 assists

Emma Russell: 11 points, 3-5 (3-FG)

Dru Zoucha: 11 points, 3-5 (3-FG), 6 assists

Kaylee Denker: 9 points, 6 rebounds

Nebraska Wesleyan University

Anasty Pettlon: 19 points, 5-10 (3-FG), 2 assists, 4 steals

Peyton Tritz: 17 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists

Carney Black: 14 points, 7-7 (FT), 6 rebounds

Brynn Sebek: 11 points, 2 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals

Inside the numbers:

Nine players made multiple field goals for the Bruins, easily the most on the season.

Bellevue sank a season-high 12 three-pointers, going 12-27 (44%) from downtown. They improve to 3-0 when making at least 10 treys.

The Bruins shot 53% from the field while holding NWU to just 33% shooting.

The Prairie Wolves finished 11-24 (46%) from deep and were 14-18 (78%) from the free throw line.

Bellevue controlled the glass, piling up a 46-27 rebounding advantage. They turned eight offensive boards into seven second chance points while NWU had just one second chance points on seven offensive rebounds.

Turnovers kept Nebraska Wesleyan in the game. They forced the Bruins into a season-high 27 while committing just nine and turning that into a 30-12 advantage in points off turnovers.

The game saw 22 ties and 24 lead changes.

Up Next:

Bellevue has an 11-day layoff before welcoming Valley City State University (5-2, 2-0 FC) to the BU Fieldhouse at 5 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 5 for a Frontier Conference showdown.