WICHITA - The Newman women's basketball team faced little resistence on their way to championship honors the Catholic Collegiate Invitational, which concluded Saturday evening at Fugate Gymnasium. The Jets won both games of the four-team tournament by double figures, including a 67-50 win over Rockhurst Saturday evening to claim the tournament title.

Newman 77, Saint Mary (Neb.) 49
Six players posted double-digit scoring totals as Newman (3-1) cruised to a 77-49 win over NAIA foe Saint Mary (1-5) in each team's tournament opener Friday evening. Rhea Codio led the charge with a 13-point outing to lead the Jets.

The Jets jumped out to an early 21-12 lead in the first six minutes of play, and earned its first double-digit lead when a Celeste Key lay-up gave Newman a 25-15 lead with 11:59 still to to play. Two Olivia Grigg free throws brought the visiting Flames back to within eight, 25-17, with 11:07 to play, but Newman responded with an 11-3 run, capped by an Elyse Pachta three-pointer, to take a 36-20 lead at the 3:21 mark. Once again, the Flames rallied, pulling to within seven, 38-31, with 1:44 to play, but Newman scored the final five points of the half, and took a 43-31 lead into the halftime break.

The Jets scored the first eight points of the second half, and extended that into a 16-3 run over the first seven minutes that gave Newman a 56-34 lead after a Rhea Codio trey. Saint Mary was unable to pull any closer than 19 points from the Jets. Newman claimed its largest lead of the game with just under three minutes to play when a Key lay-up gave Newman a 31-point, 76-45 lead. From there, the Jets cruised to the 77-49 win.

Rhea Codio went four-for-nine from the field en route to a team-high 13 points in Friday's win. Bobbi Coleman and Alex Adekunle each added 12 points, while Celeste Key finished with 11 points in the contest. Tasha Cannon and Philicia Kelley rounded out Newman's six double-digit scorers with 10 points. Kelly added a team-high 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season.

Newman 67, Rockhurst 50
Newman (4-1) held Rockhurst (2-3) scoreless for the first four minutes of Saturday's championship game, and used a late run to seal the deal, claiming the CCI title with a 67-50 win over Rockhurst. Philicia Kelly led the charge with 16 points as the Jets improved to 4-1.

The Jets bolted to an early 9-0 lead after Sam Soyez sank a trey at the 15:46 mark. Rockhurst answered with five-straight points, but Newman countered with a 9-2 run capped by a Bobbi Coleman lay-up to give Newman an 18-7 lead with 10:47 still to play in the opening frame.

Over the next five minutes, Rockhurst pieced together a 12-2 run, and held Newman scoreless for four minutes to pull within one, 20-19, with 4:37 to play, but the Jets closed the first half with a 4-0 spurt to take a 24-19 lead into halftime.

The Hawks made the first move in the second half, opening with a 6-0 run to take a short-lived 25-24 lead after a Chrissy Sarcone jumper at the 18:14 mark, but that lead lasted just 20 seconds as a jumper by Newman's Alex Adekunle sparked an 8-2 run that gave Newman a 32-27 advantage with 15:29 to play. Rockhurst answered with a 5=2 run to pull within two once again, 34-32, after two Megan Cook free throws at the 12:49 mark, but another Adekunle lay-up, combined with a defensive effort that held Rockhurst scoreless for the next three minutes, allowed Newman to regain control of the game with a 44-32 lead at the halfway point of the second half.

Newman took its largest lead of the game in the final two minutes with back-to-back Coleman free throws that gave the Jets a 21-point, 67-46 lead with 1:20 to play, then cruised to the 67-50 win.

Philicia Kelly missed just one shot in Saturday's game, going six-for-seven from the field en route to 16 points to lead the Jets. Tasha Cannon added 12 points, while Rhea Codio and Celeste Key finished with 10 points a piece to round out Newman's double-digit scorers. Key was Newman's high-rebounder with nine boards in the win.

With this weekend's wins, the Jets improve to 4-1 on the season. They will return to action Tuesday against MIAA rival Fort Hays State. Tip-off at Newman's Fugate Gymnasium is slated for 5:30 p.m.