WICHITA - Four players posted career-high numbers as the Newman men's basketball team picked up its biggest win of the season in a 97-62 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State Thursday night in front of 539 fans inside Fugate Gymnasium. Chip Steven posted 16 points to lead the Jets, and was one of four Newman athletes to finish in double figures.

It didn't take long for Newman (17-9, 10-5 Heartland) to establish control of the game Thursday night. Keaton Schultz, who scored 32 points on the Aggies in this season's earlier meeting, scored the first six points of Thursday night's contest as the Jets jumped out to a 12-3 lead less than four minutes into the game. Oklahoma Panhandle State (10-16, 6-9 Heartland) responded with a 9-3 run, and drew within three, 15-12, less than three minutes later. The Aggies hung around for a couple minutes, until Newman's guards started to heat up from long range. Each of Newman's next three buckets were of the three-point variety. Four points from Justin Berry, two from Jordan Honore, and a Jake Darby trey later, Newman had gone on a 21-5 run, and pushed its lead to 19, 36-17, with 7:31 still to play.The Jets achieved their first 20-point lead on a Jarvis Jackson free throw at the 5:24 mark, and led by no less than six for the remainder of the first half. By the halftime break, Newman held a 20-point, 50-30 advantage.

As if there was any doubt as to which way the game would go, Newman made another statement in the second half. The Jets needed just under five mintues to stretch the lead to 30 after opening the half on a 16-6 run, when another Darby trey gave Newman a 66-36 advantage. Newman didn't extend its lead by much, but kept the game well in hand throughout the course of the second half. Head Coach Mark Potter emptied his bench with five minutes remaining, and it was the bench players that gave the Jets their largest lead of the game, a 36-point, 86-50 cushion with 4:45 to play. In all, 13 of the 14 players that played for the Jets in Thursday night's game scored at least two points as the Jets cruised to the 97-62 win; their largest margin of victory this season.

Chip Steven and Jake Darby each drained four treys in Thursday night's win. Steven led the Jets with 16 points and a career-high seven rebounds, while Darby added 14 points and five assists. Keaton Schultz finished with 13 points, but came up dry on all six of his attempts from long range. Justin Berry had 11 points from the post to round out Newman's double-figure scorers. Jordan Honore' dished out a career-high three assists, while Tyler Nordman added a career-high four rebounds, and Ryan Trilli recorded multiple field goals for the first time in his Newman career.

Kevin Geofroy led OPSU with 18 points, while Trayvon Williams grabbed a game-high nine boards for the Aggies.

With the win, the Jets improve to 17-9 this season, and 10-5 in Heartland Conference play. Newman is tied with Dallas Baptist for second place in the conference, and can secure the No. 2 seed in next week's Heartland Conference Championship tournament with a win over Texas-Permian Basin, and a DBU loss. Dallas Baptist will take on conference champion Incarnate Word Saturday afternoon in Dallas.

Newman will return to the court for their final game of the season Saturday, hosting Texas-Permian Basin in a 3:30 p.m. contest inside Fugate Gymnasium.