Bellevue College men’s basketball fought valiantly for the first half but got outscored 52-29 in the second half before eventually falling by a score of 87-69 in the final game of the Sweet 16 at the 2025 NWAC Men’s Basketball Championship presented by Golf Universe on Saturday night at Columbia Basin College. The matchup featured the last two NWAC Champions, with Bellevue winning it all in 2023 while the Gators won the title last March.
Cooper Brown was on fire in the first half. Coming off the bench, he had 15 points with all his points coming from the three ball with five made three pointers
Bellevue was able to take a halftime lead thanks in part to an 8-for-14 shooting performance from beyond the arc. However, the shots cooled off in the second half as they went just 1-for-12 from long range. The Bulldogs didn’t capitalize at the free throw line either, making just 57%. Darek Usitalo was the lone ‘dog to keep any momentum going, making four-of-five in the second half for 11 points while snagging four rebounds; both team highs in the frustrating second half.
The Gators made great work of their free throw attempts, converting 25-for-29 for the game including 20 in the second half. Kesler Vaughan had 17 points and Logan Weidauer had 12 points.
For the Bulldogs, Usitalo ended the night with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Last Updated March 9, 2025
