SAN ANTONIO, Texas. - The Newman men's basketball team hopes to put an end to a three-game losing skid Saturday, traveling to San Antonio, Texas, to take on the St. Mary's Rattlers. Tip-time inside Bill Greehey Arena is slated for 4:30 p.m., or approximately 20 minutes following the conclusion of the Newman-St. Mary's women's basketball game.
About the Jets...
Newman is 7-7 on the season, and 0-1 in Heartland Conference play after the first 14 games of the season, and has taken on some of the toughest compeition the South Central region has to offer, including the likes of Lone Star Conference foes Southwestern Oklahoma State (W, 91-78), West Texas A&M (L, 83-68), Angelo State (W, 77-69), No. 11 Tarleton State (L, 83-54), and No. 21 Midwestern State (L, 89-69) and MIAA rivals Pittsburg State (L, 95-68) and Fort Hays State (L, 84-71). The Jets have dropped two-straight games after an 84-61 loss to Arkansas-Fort Smith Saturday evening in Fort Smith, Ark.
The Jets are led by
Keaton Schultz, a senior guard from Neodesha, Kan., who is averaging 13.5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.
Will Burdette, a senior transfer forward from the Northeastern Mississippi Junior College, scores 12.8 points and grabs a team-high 4.9 rebounds per game, while
Eric Saunders, who has stepped into the point guard position after the injury to
Bobby Wesley in the opening game of the season, can be counted on for 7.8 points and 4.4 assists per game.
As a team, the Jets average 74.9 points per game, and have shot a .407 collective field goal percentage
Scouting St. Mary's...
The Rattlers bring a 10-5 overall record, and a 4-0 mark in Heartland Conference play into Saturday's contest, and have won four-straight games after a 73-51 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State Thursday in San Antonio. The Rattlers are 6-2 in games played in Bill Greehey Arena. Their last home loss came Dec. 30 in a non-conference tilt against Angelo State by a score of 67-57.
Kevin Kotzur has emerged as the Rattlers' leading scorer this season. The 6-8 sophomore post player is the leading scorer in the Heartland Conference, averaging 18.0 points and 8.1 rebounds per game this season. He is complemented by Josh Orta, a 5-10 sophomore guard who averages 14.5 points and a team-high 5.7 assists per game.
As a team, the Rattlers shoot .488 from the floor, and .355 from three-point range, and give up just 29.7 rebounds per game.
Last Time These Two Met...
Four Jets posted double figures, but that wasn't enough to lead the Jets past St. Mary's, who upset the second-seeded Jets 74-72 in the first round of the 2010 Heartland Conference Tournament on the Rattlers home floor in San Antonio.
Chip Steven and
Jaray Mathews each scored 17 points to lead the Jets, while Gordon Ward scored 19 to lead the Rattlers.
The Rattlers out-rebounded Newman 41-30.
The Series....
This will be the the eighth meeting between the Jets and the Rattlers. St. Mary's owns a 5-2 lead in the all-time series, but Newman has won two of the last three thanks to a regular season sweep last year. Newman's last win came in an 80-71 decision over the Rattlers on Jan. 28, 2010 in Wichita.
