ROLLA, Mo. - The Newman men's basketball team will continue it's 2011-12 campaign Wednesday, traveling to Rolla, Mo. to take on the 0-3 Missouri S&T Miners. Tip-time for the contest is slated for 3 p.m. on Billy Key Court inside Missouri S&T's Gale Bullman Multi-Purpose Building.

Meet the Jets...
Newman returns six players from a squad that finished the 2010-11 season with a 15-12 overall record, and a 7-5 mark in Heartland Conference play. The Jet's post-season run was cut short when eventual conference champion Texas A&M International knocked the Jets out of the Heartland Conference Championship tournament with a 91-74 semi-final win. The Jets are coming off of a 47-46 victory over Northeastern State in the Conference Challenge hosted by Newman University.

Eric Saunders carried the Jets through much of the 2010-11 season. The junior averaged 9.2 points per game, and shot at a .400 clip from beyond the arc. The Moberly, Mo., native led the Jets offense with 4.0 assists per game and also averaged 3.5 rebounds a game.

Saunders will be joined in the Newman starting line-up by fellow returning starters Kyle Grant  (5.6 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and Mason Felter (4.1 ppg, 3.2 rpg.).

Garden City CC transfer Bobby Wesley will  be given a second chance to bring the ball up the court for the Jets this season. The 5-11 point guard averaged 5.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.5 assists per game for the GCCC Broncbusters in the 2009-10 season. Wesley was sidelined with a season-ending injury in the first game of the 2010-11 season.

Last Time Out...
The Jets improved to 2-0 on the season with a one-point, 47-46 win over Northeastern State on Nov. 12 in Wichita. Senior transfer Chuck Coley led the Newman offense with eight points while adding four blocks and seven rebounds in the contest. Junior point guard Bobby Wesley also scored eight points and added three assists and two steals. The Jets shot 32.0 percent (16-50) from the field and posted a 65.0 (13-20) percent free throw mark in the contest. Through two games the Jets are averaging 65 points and 35 rebounds per game while shooting at a 40.4 percent clip.

Scouting Missouri S&T...
Missouri S&T will look for revenge Saturday after losing it's season opener to Newman 83-61 in Wichita on Nov. 11. The Miners are coming off a 71-69 loss to Lindenwood-Belleville on Tuesday in Rolla, Mo.. The Miners shot shot 40.0 percent (26-65) from the field and went 13-19 from the line. At 0-3 on the season, Missouri S&T will try to grab it's first win Saturday and will look to do so behind Bryce Foster who is averaging 12 ppg and 4.7 rpg through the first three games of the season. Foster scored 21 points and grabbed eight rebounds in Tuesday's loss. The Miners will look to Michael Jackson (10.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg), Carlton Westbrook (10.0 ppg, 3.3 rpg) and Nusrath Kahn (10.0 ppg, 1.0 rpg) for additional offensive production.

A Series is Born...
Saturday's meeting will be just the second in a young series between the Jets and the Miners. Newman won the only other contest in the series, picking up a 83-61 win over Missouri S&T in Wichita, Kan. inside Fugate Gymnasium Nov. 11, 2011. This will be the first meeting between Missouri S&T and Newman in Rolla, Mo..