KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Newman women's basketball team will travel to Kansas City, Mo., for the weekend, looking to keep their undefeated season alive against a pair of opponents at the Catholic Collegiate Invitational. The Jets will take on Regis in a 5 p.m. contest Friday before challenging NAIA foe Avila Saturday at noon. All games will be played inside Mason Halpin Field House on the campus of Rockhurst University.

Meet the Jets...
Newman returns six players from a 2010-11 squad that won the school's first-ever Heartland Conference regular season championship, and finished with a 19-8 record on the season, including a 9-1 mark against Heartland Conferene opponents. Newman's first-ever women's basketball post-season run was cut short when fourth-seeded St. Edward's knocked the Jets out of the Heartland Conference Championship tournament with a 77-58 semi-final win.

Tasha Cannon carried the Jets through much of the 2010-11 season, and has picked up this season where she left off last season. The senior posted her first double-double of the 2011-12 season in Tuesday's 74-65 win over Midwestern State, scoring 23 points and adding 16 rebounds against the Mustangs. The reigning Heartland Conference Newcomer of the Year, Cannon is averaging 19 points and 12.5 rebounds through two games in 2011-12.

Cannon is joined in the Newman starting line-up by fellow returners Samantha Soyez (5.5 ppg, 3.0 apg) and Alex Adekunle (7.5 ppg, 7.5 rpg), along with a pair of NCAA Div. 1 transfers. Anna Sonka (Toledo) is averaging 3.0 points per game, while Satoria Bell (Temple) is averaging 21 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Last Time Out...
The Jets improved to 2-0 on the season with a 74-65 win over Midwestern State Wednesday evening inside Fugate Gymnasium. Tasha Cannon recorded her first double-double of the season with a 23-point, 16-rebound effort. Not to be out-done, Satoria Bell posted 20 points, six rebounds and four steals in the contest. The Jets led by as many as 20 points late in the second half, but a late Mustang rally cut the Newman lead to just nine when the final buzzer sounded. Newman shot .571 (28-49) in the contest, and forced 16 MSU turnovers.

Scouting Regis...
Despite a line-up that boasts 10 players at 5-10 or taller, Regis has struggled to an 0-2 record this season, dropping back-to-back contests to Concordia-St. Paul (72-45) and Winona State (54-39) at the CSP Tip-Off Classic last weekend in St. Paul, Minn. The Rangers also dropped exhibition contests at Northern Colorado (95-50) and Colorado (78-40). Their only taste of success this season came in the form of a 91-66 exhibition win at NAIA Johnson & Wales.

The Rangers are led offensively by Sarah Feeney, a 6-1 junior forward who averages 12 points and four rebounds per game. She is joined by Tae'lor Purdey, a 5-10 sophomore forward who is averaging 11 pints and 3.5 rebounds per game this season. As a team, the Rangers are shooting just .286 (28-98) from the field, and have drained just three of their 32 three-point attempts.

Scouting Avila...
Avila brings a 3-2 record into the Catholic Collegiate Invitational after dropping a 58-50 decision to William Woods Tuesday in Kansas City, Mo. The loss snapped a two-game winning streak by the Eagles. Avila, which is receiving votes in the NAIA Div. I pre-season poll, features a three-pronged scoring threat. Victoria Murillo, a 5-9 senior guard, is averaging 11.8 points per game through five games in 2011-12, while Courtney Gimlin (5-8 junior guard) and Brittany Townsend (5-9 senior guard) each average 11.4 points per game.

The last go-round?
The 2011 Catholic Collegiate Invitational may very well be the last. Waning interest in the rotating event, along with a lack of NCAA Div. II catholic institutions in the region have played factors in the event's decline.