WICHITA - The Newman women's basketball team completed its first rotation of Heartland Conference play with a 78-67 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State Saturday afternoon inside Newman's Fugate Gymnasium. Alex Adekunle and Philicia Kelly each scored 17 points to lead the Jets.

Oklahoma Panhandle State (3-17, 0-5 Heartland) took its first and only lead of the game on its first possession when Carmela Garcia converted an old-fashioned three-point play to give the visiting Aggies an early 3-0 edge. Newman (13-7, 4-1 Heartland) scored its first points of the game on its ensuing possession, when a Tasha Cannon lay-up sparked a 13-0 run, capped by a Philicia Kelly lay-up, gave the Jets a 13-3 lead with 13:51 to play in the first half. The Aggies countered with a 7-2 run, and pulled back to within five, 15-10, after a Nicole Buhl free throw with 11:04 still to play. OPSU kept Newman's lead at seven or less for the next three minutes, but a Bobbi Coleman lay-up with 8:47 remaining on the first-half clock sparked a 15-5 Newman run that gave the Jets a 34-17 advantage, its largest of the game, after another Cannon lay-up with 4:29 to play. From there the Jets hung on for a 38-25 halftime lead.

Newman was never seriously threatened by the Aggies in the second half, but couldn't seem to find a way to put them away either. Adekunle hit a lay-up on the Jets' first possession of the second half to push Newman's lead back to 40-25, but less than two minutes later the Aggies had fought back to within seven. Newman reeled off five-straight points to push its lead back to 12, but OPSU answered that with four-straight points of their own to pull within eight. Finally, with 6:46 left on the clock, the Jets held a 65-52 lead, and looked to be in control of the contest, but the Aggies weren't ready to roll over. OPSU found a way to narrow the Newman lead to six inside the final minute after a Carmela Garcia three-pointer brought the Aggies to within 73-67, but the Jets put the nail in the coffin by scoring the final five points of the game to pick up the 78-67 win.

Alex Adekunle and Philicia Kelly each scored 17 points to lead the Jets. Adekunle added 12 rebounds for the only double-double of the contest. Bobbi Coleman and Sam Soyez rounded out Newman's
double-digit scorers in the contest. Coleman finished with 11 points and three assists, while Soyez added 10 points and six assists for the Jets, who shot a season-high 60 percent (33-55) as a team from the floor.

Carmela Garcia led all scorers with 23 points, while Nicole Buhl's seven rebounds was a team-high for the Aggies.

With the win, Newman improves to 13-7 overall, and 4-1 in Heartland Conference play. The Jets will return to action Thursday, hosting NCAA Div. II- and Heartland Conference provisional member Arkansas-Fort Smith. Tip-time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. inside Fugate Gymnasium.