WICHITA, Kan. – The No. 2-ranked Northwest Missouri State University men's basketball team rebounded from a setback Thursday with a resounding 82-53 blowout win over the Newman University Jets Saturday at Fugate Gymnasium.
 
Northwest improved to 17-2 overall and 10-1 in MIAA play. Newman fell to 4-11 overall and 1-9 in league play.
 
Northwest shot 57.7% from the floor (30-of-52 FGs) to mark the 13th time this season that the Bearcats have shot 50.0% for better from the field. Northwest also knocked in 12-of-25 from three-point land, which is the 12th time this season that the Bearcats have reached double figures in three-pointers made in a game.
 
Junior Trevor Hudgins led four Bearcats in double-figure scoring with 21 points. Hudgins hit 7-of-11 field goals, including 5-of-9 from three-point land. Hudgins also dished out six assists and grabbed two rebounds.
 
Joining Hudgins in double figures were redshirt freshman Daniel Abreu (15 points), junior Diego Bernard (13 points) and sophomore Luke Waters (13 points).
 
Northwest used a 7-0 spurt from Diego Bernard to turn an 11-8 deficit into a 14-11 lead with 12:47 to play in the half. Luke Waters and Trevor Hudgins combined on another 7-0 run to take an 18-17 lead and push it to 25-17 with 6:29 left in the half. Hudgins sank a triple from deep with :34 left in the first half to give Northwest a 32-22 lead at the break.
 
Despite committing three fouls in the opening half, Bernard came out strong in the second half and led an 11-0 run that gave Northwest a 50-31 lead with 11:40 to play in the game. Luke Moustakas drained a three-pointer with 9:53 left to push the advantage to 20 at 55-35. Northwest would lead by as many as 31 after a triple from Abreu in the closing minute.
 
Northwest shot 60.7% from the floor in the second half, including 8-of-16 from three-point land.
 
Northwest will return home for a pair of games this week against Lincoln and Central Missouri. Northwest and Lincoln will play Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Bearcat Arena. Northwest and UCM will take to the court Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Bearcat Arena.
 
NOTES: Northwest has played 206 games since last losing back-to-back contests … Northwest's last back-to-back losses came Dec. 18/Dec. 20, 2015 at Lincoln and Lindenwood … when the Bearcats hold an opponent to 59 points or less, head coach Ben McCollum has guided Northwest to a mark of 139-5 in his 13-year career … under head coach Ben McCollum the Bearcats are 127-2 in games decided by 20 points or more … Northwest has won 126 consecutive games when the final scoring margin is 20 or more points.