March 15, 2008

Point Lookout, Mo. - Bellevue (Neb.) became the first number one seed to advance to the Final Four since 2003 as they defeated ninth-seed Bethel (Ind.), 73-69. The Bruins advance to their second Final Four in school history as they lost in the championship game to Oregon Tech in 2004. The 17^th-annual event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of the College of the Ozarks (Mo.). 

Bellevue hit back-to-back three pointers which helped trigger a 13-2 run to close the first half and take a 40-34 halftime lead. Both teams shot well in the opening half as Bethel was 56% from the floor compared to 52% for the Bruins.

Bethel regained the lead early in the first half (43-42) but the Bruins grabbed the lead back for good via a 7-0 run. The game remained very close throughout the second half as the Pilots trailed by one with five minutes to play after a William Walker field goal. Leading by two, Bellevue guard John Gray hit a jumper to put the Bruins up four, 68-64, with 1:30 left to play. After a Bethel miss, the Pilots were forced to foul and the Bruins made 7-of-8 free throws down the stretch to get the 73-69 win.

Bellevue shot 47% for the game and boasted a balanced offensive attack that featured eight players with at least six points. John Gray led with 15 points followed by Chance Wallesen with 11, including 3-of-6 three pointers.

Bethel was led by Ryne Lightfoot with 22 points on 7-of-11 from the field. William Walker added 18 points and 12 rebounds but was held without a field goal for the final five minutes. The Pilots shot 55% from the field but struggled to just 27% from the three point line. Bethel, making their first national tournament appearance since 1999, ends their season with a 29-7 record.

Bellevue improves to 32-3 and overall and will take an 11-game win streak into Monday's Final Four. The Bruins will face either #5 Northwestern (Iowa) or #13 Northwood (Fla.) at 6:00 pm. The 32-team, single-elimination tournament concludes on Tuesday, March 18.