Kearney, Neb. - The Nebraska-Kearney men's basketball returns home this week to face the Bellevue University Bruins and the Lincoln University Blue Tigers.

The tilt with the in-state Bruins takes place Thursday at 7:00 p.m. with Lincoln stopping by Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. Both games can be heard on KGFW AM 1340 and be seen (for purchase) on America One. Also available are live stats.

The NAIA Bruins (7-2) have won three in a row after a 95-59 rout of Manhattan Christian on December 7th. They are now ranked 14th in NAIA Division II.

Bellevue, with no Nebraska natives on its roster, averages a healthy 87 points per game as it shoots 48% from the field and 76% at the line.

A balanced attacked is led by 6-4 sophomore guard Taylor Young (15.2 points, 4.0 assists & 1.0 steals per game) and 6-4 senior guard Lee Ames (13.4 points & 2.4 rebounds pg).

Ames makes 2.8 threes per game with Young sinking four free throws a night. On the glass, the leader is 6-3 senior Given Kalipinde (7.3 pg), a native of Zambia in Africa.

UNK leads the all-time series, 17-1, with the two last meeting in January 2006.

The Blue Tigers (2-8, 0-2) fell at home to Northeastern State, 87-72, and Central Oklahoma, 90-71, to start MIAA play. In non-MIAA action,they went 1-5 vs. Division II schools.

Lincoln has had trouble stopping the opposition, giving up 89.3 points per game. Teams shoot 49.9% against the LU defense and also have a plus 8.6 rebounding margin. On the flip side, Lincoln is averaging just 14 turnovers per game.

Junior post Mike Smith, at 6-6 and 210 lbs., leads Lincoln at 16.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game. He is shooting 55% from the floor and 70% at the line.

Six-foot junior guard Clay Crouch (14.6) and 6-1 junior guard Joshua Buie (13.4) also average in double digits with 6-4, 240 lbs. freshman Aaron Spudich at a team-best 5.5 rebounds per game.

Last year in Kearney, Lincoln won 72-61 as they held UNK to 38% shooting from the field and had three score in double figures.

UNK (2-5, 0-2) hopes to continue its stellar play at home as they are 2-0 so far in the Health & Sports Center. That includes a 75-69 win over Wayne State and a 88-60 thrashing of Chadron State.

Away from Kearney, the Lopers are 0-4 and allowing 95.7 points per game.

Senior post Mike Dentlinger returned to action last week and needs just 18 points to become the 40th Loper to reach the 1,000 career point milestone. He'll be the first Loper to join this club since center Josiah Parker in 2010.

Dentlinger went off last Saturday, going 8 for 8 from the field to tally 22 points in 17 minutes off the bench.

Ravenna sophomore Connor Beranek has had those kinda of games a lot this winter. He ranks third in the MIAA in scoring (21.2) thanks to an MIAA-best 93.9 free throw percentage. The Doane transfer has reached 20 points in all but one game this year and is also leading the team in rebounds (6.8).

Junior newcomer Davion Pearson, a guard, also has had some stellar efforts of late. Carrying the Lopers down the stretch last Saturday at SBU, he had back-to-back 21 point efforts last weekend. He also handed out 15 assists in the road losses and leads UNK with 21 (3.5 per game). 

Next week, Lindenwood comes to Kearney and then the Lopers have a long Holiday break.