UMW eliminates Bruins from postseason contention, 77-57

DILLON, Mont. -- Zakiyyah Muhammad recorded her team-leading sixth double-double to lead three Bruins in double figures but it wasn't enough as the Bellevue University women's basketball team fell 77-57 to the University of Montana Western on Saturday evening at Straugh Gymnasium.

With the victory, UMW improves to 11-13 on the year and 9-11 in the Frontier Conference. The Bruins fall to 9-16 overall and 5-15 in league play. The loss, coupled with Bismarck State's win at Valley City tonight eliminates BU from postseason contention.

How It Happened:

Zakiyyah Muhammad netted a pair of buckets to open the game for the Bruins before Montana Western rattled off five-straight to take their first lead in a back-and-forth first quarter that featured eight lead changes and three ties before Joy Beran's layup at the end of the period saw the game tied at 15-all.

Keke Davis scored four points in a 6-0 run to open the second quarter for the Bulldogs as UMW held BU without a point for the first three minutes of the second quarter. An old-fashioned three-point play from Karoline Ellison and a trifecta from Dru Zoucha in a span of 25 seconds tied the game back up at 21 at the 6:33 mark.

Bailee Sayler accounted for all nine UMW points in a 9-0 spurt, knocking down three triples, as part of a larger 14-3 run for the Bulldogs as the hosts took an 11-point lead. After a Muhammad layup, Kyle Pancost restored the 11-point advantage with a layup of her own before the Bruins closed the half with five-straight points to cut Montana Western's lead to 37-31 at halftime.

A 4-0 mini-run over the first two minutes of the second half grew the UMW lead to double figures, 41-31, when Sayler knocked down a jumper at the 8:14 mark. Bellevue hung in and responded at the other end with a pair of free throws from Muhammad that kick-started an 8-3 scoring run over 1:28 of game time to get the Bruins back within five, 44-39.

Sayler scored a driving layup ahead of a Bulldog timeout at the 6:13 mark. Ellison hit a jumper on the other side of the timeout but those were BU's final points of the quarter as UMW closed on a 12-0 run to take a 58-41 lead into the fourth.

Montana Western iced the game in the opening three minutes of the fourth quarter, scoring 10 of the first 13 points of the period to run their lead to a game-high 22 points on a pair of free throws from Sayler. The lead yo-yoed from 17-22 the rest of the way before the final 20-point margin.

Top performers:

Bellevue University

Zakiyyah Muhammad – 14 points (5-10 FG), 4-4 FT, 10 rebounds, 2 blocks
Karolina Ellison – 13 points (5-8 FG), 3 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals
Joy Beran – 11 points (4-10 FG)
Dru Zoucha – 9 points, 3-10 3-FG, 3 rebounds

University of Montana Western

Bailee Sayler – 25 points (9-17 FG), 4-9 3-FG, 3 rebounds
Tayva Phillips – 16 points (6-10 FG), 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Isabella Lund – 12 points (5-9 FG), 3 rebounds, 8 assists
Keke Davis – 11 points (4-8 FG), 9 rebounds

Inside the Numbers:

• Montana Western out-shot Bellevue 48-33%, going 29-61 from the floor to BU's 20-60.
• The Bulldogs tallied a 40-35 rebounding edge. Offensive rebounds were tied at eight apiece, though UMW converted that into a 15-4 advantage in second chance points.
• Bellevue turned the ball over 15 times to Montana Western's 12 on the night.
• UMW had a decided advantage inside, out-scoring the Bruins 40-24 in the paint.

Up Next:

Bellevue returns to the BU Fieldhouse next weekend with a pair of games. First, BU welcomes Bismarck State College at 5 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 20 then Dickinson State University for Senior Night on Saturday, Feb. 21, also at 5 p.m.