Wayne State forced 31 turnovers and cruised to a 74-40 win over Bellevue University in the Wildcats’ home opener Tuesday evening at Rice Auditorium.
It was the first time the two teams met in men’s basketball since the 1986-87 season, and the Wildcats led from start to finish.
Wayne State led 14-11 at the 13:13 mark before going on a 13-0 scoring run over the next 4:20 to take a 27-11 lead, and the visiting Bruins were never a treat after that.
Wayne State led by as many as 22 at 40-18 before closing the first half with a 44-23 lead, thanks to 63 percent shooting (17 of 27) from the field in the first 20 minutes.
The Wildcats opened the second half with an 11-2 run, building the lead to 30 points at 55-25 following a Jordan Janssen dunk with 14:55 to play. Twelve different Wildcats ended up scoring in the game as reserves dominated play late.
Janssen led Wayne State in scoring with 17 points followed by Justin Eagins with 12. Eric Pierce was the lone Bellevue Bruin in double figures with 11 points.
Both teams had 27 rebounds in the game as Cody McCullough grabbed six boards for the Wildcats followed by Ben Dentlinger and Janssen with five each. Eagins had five of Wayne State’s 20 steals in the game while Jay Saunders was credited with four assists.
The Wildcats will be at home again Friday evening, hosting Simpson College at 7:30 p.m. in Rice Auditorium.
