OMAHA, Neb. — Dickinson State rallied from a 14-point second-half deficit to pull within two in the final 90 seconds, but Bethany College scored the game's final six points to hand the Blue Hawks an 85-77 loss Saturday afternoon at the Chick-fil-A Classic inside BU Fieldhouse.
Freshman Boston Cranston scored a team-high 18 points, while Michael Nance recorded Dickinson State's first double-double of the season with 12 points and 13 rebounds. The Blue Hawks (0-2) led by as many as 11 in the first half before Bethany (1-1) used a strong second-half performance to take control.
Cranston, a Dickinson High School graduate, established collegiate highs in points and made 3-pointers, connecting on 4-of-8 attempts from beyond the arc. The freshman guard also dished out four assists and grabbed three rebounds in his second collegiate appearance.
Dickinson State overcame an early 5-2 deficit and began building momentum midway through the opening half. Noah Hippen tied the game at nine with a 3-pointer before Britton Cranston converted a steal into a three-point play to give the Blue Hawks a 12-9 advantage.
Boston Cranston followed with consecutive 3-pointers to stretch the lead to 22-14, and Nance helped Dickinson State maintain control with his work on the glass and inside the paint. The 6-foot-8 redshirt freshman scored nine first-half points and grabbed nine rebounds, including a 3-pointer with 5:14 remaining that gave the Blue Hawks their largest lead at 33-22.
Bethany responded behind Curtis Stovall III, who scored 15 points in the opening half. The Swedes erased the double-digit deficit and briefly moved ahead in the closing minutes, but two free throws from Britton Cranston with 25 seconds remaining sent Dickinson State into halftime with a 42-41 lead.
The Blue Hawks shot 48.5% from the field in the opening 20 minutes and held an 18-11 rebounding advantage, a significant improvement from Friday's season-opening loss to Doane.
The momentum shifted after halftime as Bethany capitalized on Dickinson State turnovers and found its shooting touch from the perimeter. With the score tied at 46, the Swedes used a 17-3 run to build a 63-49 advantage with 11:21 remaining.
Stovall led the surge, knocking down three second-half 3-pointers on his way to a game-high 31 points. He finished 10-of-18 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from beyond the arc, accounting for six of Bethany's eight made 3-pointers.
Despite the deficit, Dickinson State continued to battle back.
Trailing 77-66 with less than five minutes remaining, Boston Cranston converted a three-point play to begin a 9-0 Blue Hawk run. Senior Detavius Frierson followed with a steal and transition dunk before Adesoye Onaleye scored inside to cut the deficit to 77-73 with 3:06 left.
Onaleye then collected two offensive rebounds on the next Dickinson State possession and drew a foul, converting both free throws to bring the Blue Hawks within 77-75 with 2:08 remaining.
Bethany's Adriel Smith answered with a jumper, but Onaleye responded with another basket to make it 79-77 with 1:30 left. The Blue Hawks could get no closer as Smith scored the final six points on a layup and four free throws to secure the win.
Onaleye finished with 16 points and seven rebounds, giving the junior transfer 36 points across his first two games in a Dickinson State uniform. He made all six of his free-throw attempts and added two assists and a blocked shot.
Nance finished with 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, including three on the offensive glass. Britton Cranston added nine points, Frierson contributed eight points and seven rebounds and Tristan Fortin finished with seven points.
Turnovers and perimeter shooting ultimately proved decisive. Dickinson State committed 16 turnovers compared with nine for Bethany, allowing the Swedes to build a 22-12 advantage in points off turnovers. Bethany shot 53.3% from 3-point range, while the Blue Hawks finished 7-of-24 from beyond the arc.
Smith added 20 points for Bethany, shooting 7-of-14 from the field and making all six of his free throws.
Dickinson State will return to Nebraska next Friday, Oct. 30, for a nonconference matchup against Midland University in Fremont. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Mountain.
