Box Score Kearney, Neb. – The Bellevue University men's basketball team sunk 10 three pointers and used a balanced offensive attack to beat Nebraska-Kearney, 73-65, Thursday night at the Health & Sports Center.

Ranked 14th in NAIA Division II, the Bruins (8-2) win a fourth straight game while the Lopers fall to 2-5.

To beat UNK for the second time in school history, Bellevue went 6 of 12 from behind the arc in the second half and saw five different players make at least one triple for the game.

The Bruins also had four score in double figures and five others tally between four and eight points. And, despite being out sized, Bellevue won the battle on the glass, 36-33, which led to 15 second chance points.

Down 28-24 with five minutes to go in the first half, the Bruins went on a 13-2 run to grab the lead for good. This key spurt featured a three from reserve guard Isiah Strong and two buckets by starting forward Lee Ames.

Ahead by seven at the break, Bellevue never trailed in the second half but gave the Lopers several chances down the stretch to come back.  

However, in the last six minutes, Kearney went 4 of 9 at the line and committed two turnovers. On the night, UNK was just 17 of 29 (59%) at the charity stripe.

For Bellevue, senior Given Kalpinde scored 12 of his team-high 14 points in the second half. The 6-3 wing also had four rebounds, three steals and three assists.

Next, Ames had 12 points and six boards with reserve forward Darren Redstar having 11 rebounds (four offensive) and four points in 16 minutes.

UNK was led by senior post Mike Dentlinger (Millard North), who came off the bench to record a double double (18 points & 10 rebounds).

The offensive output makes him the 40th player in school history to reach 1,000 career points. Dentlinger, who went 7 of 11 from the field, is the first Loper to join this club in three years and currently has an even 1,000 points. 

Three others were in double digits, including junior guard Davion Pearson (Las Vegas, Nev.). Playing all 40 minutes, he made seven free throws to tally 16 points while also handing out six assists and having just one turnover.

Kearney returns to MIAA play Saturday when Lincoln comes to town.