WICHITA - The 126 fans on hand to watch Newman's women's basketball game against Arkansas-Fort Smith got a treat Monday evening. Between the two teams, five players posted double-doubles, and 10 players finished with double figure scoring totals as Newman picked up a 101-97 triple-overtime win over the Lions. Rhea Codio hit seven of her 15 shots from long range on her way to a 23-point outing to lead all scorers.

The contest was close from the out-set. The first six minutes saw four ties and three lead changes, but Arkansas-Fort Smith (16-5) broke a 7-7 tie with a pair of Chelsea Sublett free throws that sparked an 8-1 run, which allowed the Lions to take a 15-8 lead after a Coby Hill free throw with 12:14 to play. That's all it took to wake up the Jets. Newman (14-7) responded with a pair of Bobbi Coleman free throws at the 11:28 mark, and pieced together a 10-2 run, capped by a Samantha Soyez trey that gave Newman an 18-17 lead with 7:53 remaining in the opening period. But that lead was short-lived. Coby Hill drained a short-range jumper on the next UAFS possession, and almost immediately sparked a 6-0 spurtthat gave the visiting Lions a 23-18 lead at the 6:30 mark. Arkansas-Fort Smith eventually stretched that lead to 13, 33-20, when Sublett drained a jumper three minutes later, but the Lions managed only a free throw over the final three minutes of the first half, while the Jets mounted a come-back effortIt all started with another Coleman trey, then a Philicia Kelly lay-up. Three free throws and a late Rhea Codio trey later, Newman had trimmed the UAFS lead to three, and trailed 34-31 at halftime.

The second half of Monday's contests started in much the same was as the first. Newman closed to within one on three separate occasions over the first three minutes of the half before the Lions made their move once again. A pair of Whitney Lee free throws sparked what amounted to a 11-2 run that gave the guests a 51-40 lead after a Hill lay-up at the 11:47 mark. Again, Newman had a late-game come-back in them. Three points from Alex Adekunle and another Kelly jumper fueled a 21-10 Newman run over the next seven minutes that allowed Newman to complete it's come-back after a Codio trey at the 4:09 mark that tied the game at 61-61. The Jets went on to take a 65-61 lead with 1:32 remaining in regulation, but UAFS ended the period on a 6-2 spurt to force overtime.

Arkansas-Fort Smith stole the early momentum in the first overtime period. Jumpers from Tashley Gaines and Coby Hill gave the Lions a 71-67 lead less than a minute into the extra frame. Newman never led in the period, but they were never out of the game either. A Codio trey with four seconds left tied the game at 74-74, and forced a second overtime.

The Lions opened the second half with a Gaines lay-up on their first possession before a see-saw battle ensued. Tasha Cannon's lay-up forced the ninth tie of the game just 30 seconds into the second extra period. UAFS responded with a pair of Gaines free throws, but another Cannon lay-up forced the 10th tie. Finally, a Codio trey with 2:29 gave the Jets their first lead since the 1:25 mark of regulation, but a Gaines free throw on the next UAFS possession forced the 11th tie of the game. The process repeated itself one more time over the final two minutes of the second overtime, and after 50 minutes of basketball, the game had still yet to be decided, and was tied at 83-83.

The third overtime period was a much different story. Fouls and dead legs started to take their toll on both teams. Lion center Coby Hill was injured on the final play of the second overtime, and did not play in the third overtime. Newman took the upper hand on its first possession when Adekunle nailed a short-range jumper to give the Jets an 85-83 edge. That jumper was the first of five-straight points for the Jets, who never surrendered the lead. UAFS closed to within two on three different occasions, but a pair of Kelly free throws in the final 10 seconds gave Newman the 101-97 win in the triple-overtime thriller.

Rhea Codio's 23 points led all scorers in the contest. The senior guard went seven-for-15 from long range on her way to a 23 point outing, and added seven assists and two steals to her resume in the process. Tasha Cannon, Samantha Soyez, and Alex Adekunle each recorded double-doubles in the contest. Cannon scored 19 points and added a game-high 16 rebounds, while Soyez scored a career-high 12 points and grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds. Adekunle also posted 11 points and 14 rebounds for the Jets, who finished with a season-high 72 rebounds in the game. Philicia Kelly and Bobbi Coleman rounded out Newman's double-digit scorers. Kelly tossed in 16 points, while Coleman added 13. As a team, the Jets shot 37.1 percent (33-89) from the field, and 70.3 percent (26-37) from the free throw line.

Coby Hill led the Lions with a 22-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Chelsea Sublett posted a double-double of her own, scoring 17 points and adding 15 rebounds for UAFS. Tashley Gaines and Adel Morris also posted double-figures, finishing with 20 points and 11 points, respectively.

With the win, Newman improves to 14-7 on the season, while Arkansas-Fort Smith falls to 16-5. Newman will be back in action Thursday, hosting the St. Mary's Rattlers. Tip-time is slated for 5:30 p.m. inside Newman's Fugate Gymnasium.