Box Score ROLLA, Mo. - Eric Saunders tied a career-high with 23 points, and led the Newman men's basketball team to an 83-53 win over Missouri S&T Saturday afternoon on Billy Key Court in Rolla, Mo. The Jets drained a season-best 16 three-pointers in their first road win of the season.

-Newman set the tone for the game early, draining three's on two of its first three possessions on their way to an 8-0 lead to open the game. The Jets held Missouri S&T scoreless until Eli Steinbeck drained a pair of free throws at the 16:41 mark. The Miners didn't score their first field goal until a Bryce Foster tip-in at the 13:09 mark, but by that time the Jets had drained four treys and held a 14-4 lead. Newman led by as many as 13 on several occasions throughout the remainder of the first half, and took its largest lead of the half at the 2:05 mark when Mason Felter drained a lay-up to give his team a 14-point, 37-23 lead. Eric Saunders drained a triple in the final seconds of the half to give the Jets a 40-27 halftime lead.

-Missouri S&T used a pair of free throws to score the opening points of the second half, but Newman responded with a pair of treys and two-point jumpers from Traylor and Saunders to take a 50-29 lead with 17:33 still to play. It took less thatn four minutes for Newman to take its first 30-point lead of the game. Connor Walker finished a lay-up to give the Jets a 66-36 lead with 12:38 remaining on the clock. Newman achieved its largest lead of the game when a Traylor triple gave the Jets a 77-44 advantage, one that was comfortable enough to head coach Mark Potter that he put the final six minutes in the hands of his reserves. By that time, the wind had been sucked completely out of the Missouri S&T sails, and Newman cruised to the 83-53 win.

-Eric Saunders tied a career high with 23 points in the blow-out win. The senior guard hit seven of his 15 shots from the field, including a 5-for-10 effort from the three-point line. Darrell Traylor finished three points shy of a career-high with 11 points after missing just one of his five shots from the floor.

-Mason Felter and Ryan Mesh each snagged seven rebounds to lead the Jets. Felter added seven points, two assists and two blocks, while Mesh finished with five points an an assist. Newman out-rebounded Missouri S&T 44-35 in the contest.

-As a team, Newman shot 43.5 percent (27-62) from the floor, and 47.1 percent (16-34) from three-point range. Seven different players drained treys for the Jets.

With the win, Newman improves to 3-0, its first 3-0 start since becoming an NCAA Div. II institution in 2008. The Jets will return to action Tuesday, traveling to Hays, Kan., to challenge the Fort Hays State Tigers. Tip-time is slated for 7 p.m. inside FHSU's Gross Memorial Coliseum.