BELLEVUE, Neb. -- Bismarck State men's basketball put together its best offensive half of the road trip but couldn't overcome a first-half deficit, falling to Bellevue (Neb.) 90-79 Friday night at the BU Fieldhouse.
The Bruins came out of the gate on fire, knocking down 10 three-pointers in the first half alone and building a 23-point lead that proved too much for the Mystics to overcome. JJ Montgomery was virtually unstoppable early, draining four first-half threes and finishing with 30 points on 10-of-14 shooting, including 10-of-13 from beyond the arc. Jaden Phillips added 22 points for Bellevue, which shot 47.6% from the field in the first half and held BSC to just 27 points before the break.
The Mystics responded with a spirited second half, shooting 58.6% from the field and outscoring the Bruins 52-40 after halftime, but the early deficit was simply too steep to climb. Houston Davis led the second-half charge, pouring in 15 of his 19 points after the break, including a 6-of-7 shooting performance. Alex Proctor added 13 of his 17 points in the second half as well, knocking down a pair of three-pointers as BSC trimmed the deficit to as few as nine in the closing minutes.
Jah Gulley finished with 16 points and contributed four assists and three steals in 29 minutes, while Carter Zeller added 10 points and seven rebounds. Kamayua Black Jr. came off the bench to contribute 10 points and seven rebounds.
Davis led all Mystics with 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting, going 5-of-8 from the free throw line. BSC connected on 49.1% from the field for the game and shot a season-best 42.9% from three, but 15 turnovers led to 21 Bellevue points off miscues and kept the Mystics from mounting a full comeback.
BSC falls to 1-26 overall and 1-20 in Frontier Conference play with one game remaining. The Mystics close out the regular season Saturday night at Dakota State (S.D.), with tip-off set for 7 p.m.
Check out the men's schedule for information on how to follow and watch the team during their final games.
Be sure to visit BSCMystics.com and download the MysticNation app to continue to stay up to date with everything going on in Mystic Athletics.
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