DENVER, Colo. -- Junior Mike Cardenas led four Bruins in double figures with 21 points as the eighth-ranked Bellevue University men's basketball team recorded an 83-69 victory at Johnson & Wales University Saturday night at the Wildcat Center.
Bellevue improved to 6-2 on the season with the victory. JWU dropped to 5-4 overall.
Marquis Aaron collected a double-double, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Chris Ashanti scored 14 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Chris Burton was the fourth Bruin in double figures, finishing with 12 points, while adding three boards.
Danny Cheek paced the Wildcats with 14 points and six rebounds.
The Bruins led for the majority of the fast-paced first half, taking an eight-point advantage at 30-22 with 9:41 left in the period. JWU battled back to tie the contest at 45-all, capped by a pair of free throws by Justin Lee with 27 seconds remaining in the opening half. Senior Olutola Olushola, however, nailed a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to give BU a 48-45 advantage at the break.
Eight Bruins scored in the first half, led by Cardenas' 10 points and two rebounds. The Bruins shot 58.1 percent in the first 20 minutes, including a 6-of-11 performance from behind the 3-point arc.
Bellevue used a 16-5 run to open the second half, building a 14-point margin at 64-50 with 14 minutes left in the contest.
The Wildcats were able to cut the lead to single digits following a layup by Jontrell Herman to make it 66-57 at the 7:29 mark. That was as close as JWU would get as the Bruins pulled away in the final minutes to register the 83-69 victory.
Bellevue outshot the Wildcats, 45.9 to 39.1 percent and held a 43-33 edge in total rebounds.
The Bruins will travel to Fayette, Iowa on Tuesday, Nov. 24 for a 7 p.m. matchup against NCAA Division II Upper Iowa University.
