JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. - The Newman men's basketball team rebounded from a slow start, then held off several late Lincoln rallies for a 96-89 double-overtime win over the Lincoln Blue Tigers Saturday evening inside Jason Gym in Jefferson City, Mo. Senior Justin Berry posted a career-high 21 points and nine rebounds to lead the Jets in the win.

Lincoln (1-2) raced out to a 10-2 lead over the first five minutes, scoring on five of its first seven possessions. The Blue Tigers extended their lead to 10 points, 14-4, after a Marquez David lay-up at the 14:34 mark, and maintained a lead of at least eight until Keaton Schultz drained a three-pointer to pull Newman (3-4) back to within six, 17-11. Back-to-back treys by Schultz and Eric Saunders allowed the Jets to complete an 11-1 run, and tied the game at 17-17 with 10:19 to play.

Newman took its first lead of the game on another long ball, this time from Tyler Nordman that gave the Jets a 20-19 lead at the 8:53 mark. The two teams exchanged buckets over the next three minutes, with the Blue Tigers taking a 27-25 lead after a Daniel Armah free throw, but a Justin Berry lay-up on the ensuing possession sparked a 15-2 run that allowed the Jets to take a 40-29 lead into the halftime intermission.

The Jets extended their lead to 13 over the first four minutes of the second half, when Justin Berry completed an old-fashioned three-point play to give Newman a 45-32 lead with 16:32 still to play. The Blue Tigers slowly chipped away at the Newman lead over the final 16 minutes. A pair of Terrell Williams free throws at the 12:02 mark pulled Lincoln to within five, 51-46, by the 12:02 mark. Three minutes later, a Tommy Brumbelow free throw pushed Newman's lead back to eight, 56-48, but a Derek Stokes jumper two minutes later sparked a 17-2 Blue Tiger rally that gave the hosts a 65-58 lead with just 2:30 left to play. That was more than enough time for the Jets, who responded wtih a 10-2 run capped by a William Burdette three-pointer with 48 seconds remaining totake a 68-67 lead. After giving up a Daniel Armah jumper on Lincoln's next possession, Burdette drained one of two free throws to tie the game at 69-69 with 26 seconds left, and hit a lay-up with 16 seconds remaining to give Newman a 71-69 lead, but Armah responded with a lay-up of his own, and allowed the Blue Tigers to tie the game at 71-71 as regulation time expired.

The Blue Tigers jumped out to a 78-73 lead in the overtime period, and led for all but three seconds, when Chip Steven drained a long jumper to force a second overtime with the game knotted at 81-81.

Again, Lincoln made the first move in the second overtime, opening the period with a Williams jumper, but this time Newman had an answer. The Jets responded with an 11-2 run to take a 92-85 lead at the 1:48 mark. From there, Newman hit the free throws it needed to break a two-game losing skid with a 96-89 double-overtime win.

Justin Berry posted career numbers in the win. The senior forward finished with 21 points and nine rebounds thanks to a nine-for-11 effort from the field, and an unblemished three-for-three effort from the charity stripe. Keaton Schultz drained four treys on his way to 18 points, while William Burdette finished with 15 points and six rebounds.

With the win, the Jets improve to 3-4 on the season. They will return to action Monday when they host the Bethel Threshers. Tip-time inside Newman's Fugate Gymnasium is slated for 7 p.m., and will be broadcast locally on KGSO, 1410 AM.