Newman (9-6) at Texas A&M International (4-14)
Thursday, Jan. 13, 2011 || 5:30 p.m. || Kinesiology Building (1,200) || Laredo, Texas
Live Stats || Live Video || Live Audio || Newman Notes || Texas A&M International Notes
LAREDO, Texas - The Newman women's basketball team searches for its first Heartland Conference win of the 2010-11 season Thursday with a trip to Laredo, Texas, to take on the Texas A&M International Dustdevils Thursday evening. Tip-time inside the TAMIU Kinesiology Building is slated for 5:30 p.m.
About the Jets...
Newman brings a 9-6 record into Saturday's game after dropping a 70-54 decison to Arkansas-Fort Smith Saturday afternoon in Fort Smith, Ark. The Jets opened the season with wins in five of their first six contests, defeating Lone Star opponents East Central (72-57), Cameron (75-70), Catholic arch rival Rockhurst (67-50), and in-state rival Fort Hays State (66-52) in the process. Newman's only loss in that stretch was an 83-71 road loss at Pittsburg State on Nov. 16.
The Jets are led by
Philicia Kelly, a 5-9 junior transfer from Labette Community College who is averaging 15.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game.
Rhea Codio, a transfer guard from the University of Kansas, scores 13.5 points and dishes out 3.8 assists per game for the Jets as the team's point guard, while
Tasha Cannon can be counted on for 12.7 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in the paint.
As a team, the Jets have held their opponents to a .390 collective field goal percentage, and out-rebound opposing teams by a 39.2-33.5 margin.
Scouting Texas A&M International...
The Dustdevils bring a 4-14 overall record, and a 1-1 mark in Heartland Conference play into Thursday's contest. TAMIU is coming off an 80-75 overtime win over St. Edward's Saturday in Laredo, a win that snapped a five-game losing streak. Texas A&M International has never lost to Newman on their home floor.
Johnna Williams has emerged as Texas A&M International's leading scorer this season. The 6-1 senior center is averaging 13.4 points and leads the Heartland Conference with 10.5 rebounds per game through 17 games in the 2010-11 season. Samantha Chacon, a 5-10 freshman guard is averaging 11.4 points per game as the only other Dustdevil with double-digit scoring numbers this season.
As a team, the Dustdevils shoot .377 from the floor, .267 from long range, and .622 from the charity stripe. They out-rebound their opponents by a 45.0-41.6 margin.
The Series....
This will be the sixth meeting between the Jets and the Dustdevils. Texas A&M International has a 4-2 lead in the all-time series after sweeping the Jets last season, and has won four of the last five meetings. Newman's last win came on Jan. 29, 2009 with the Jets picked up a 66-63 decision in Wichita. Every contest in the series has been decided by seven points or less.
The Last Time These Two Met....
TAMIU held the Jets to a 5-for-17 shooting effort from three-point range and escaped with a 68-61 win over Newman on Feb. 4, 2010 in front of 190 fans inside the TAMIU Kinesiology Building in Laredo.
Monique Pitts went 8-for-13 from the field en route to a game-high 17 points while
Rainey Nickel drained three triples to finish with 13 points. The Jets shot .444 (24-54) for the game, and out-rebounded the Dustdevils 44-30.
