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POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. -- Second-seeded Indiana Wesleyan University hit 58.1 percent from the field and had seven players in double figures en route to a 113-81 opening round victory over Bellevue University Thursday afternoon at Keeter Gymnasium in the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament first round game.
The Bruins ended their season with a 20-12 overall record. Indiana Wesleyan improved to 29-5 on the season and will play Friday at 4 p.m. against Northwest Christian University in the second round.
Bellevue set an NAIA Tournament record with 54 3-point attempts in the contest. The Bruins, however, shot just 22.2 percent from behind the arc, hitting 12-of-54 attempts.
Mike Cardenas and Nicolus Guzman each scored 18 points to pace the Bruin offense. Olutola Olushola finished with 14 points and three rebounds.
IWU was led by Aaron Murray's 20 points and four rebunds.
The Wildcats raced out to an 11-1 lead in the first four minutes of the game and extended the margin to 20-6 with 13:40 remaining in the first period.
A 3-pointer by Olushola capped a seven-point Bruin run, helping BU closed the gap to seven points at 20-13 at the 12:27 mark of the opening half.
IWU pulled away midway through the period, shooting 59.5 percent from the field and hitting 5-of-12 3-pointers to grab a 56-34 halftime advantage.
Olushola and Guzman led the BU offense in the first half with eight points apiece.
The Bruins never got closer than 21 points in the second half as the Wildcats cruised to the 113-81 victory.
Notes
- The Bruins made their 14th-straight appearance in the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Tournament.
- Bellevue is 11-6 in first round games.
- The Bruins own a 21-17 all-time record in the National Tournament.
- Head coach Shane Paben is 9-8 in National Tournament games.
- The North Star Athletic Association is 1-2 in the 2016 NAIA National Tournament.