SAN ANTONIO - The Newman women's basketball team will defend its 2010-11 Heartland Conference regular season championship Friday afternoon, taking on fourth-seeded St. Mary's in a noon contest inside Bill Greehey Arena on the campus of St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas.
About the Jets...
Newman posted a 19-7 record in Jaime Green's first season as head coach, and won the 2010-11 Heartland Conference regular season championship out-right with a 111-106 shootout win over Oklahoma Panhandle State last Thursday in Goodwell, Okla. The Jets boast two of the best players in the conference in
Philicia Kelly and
Tasha Cannon. Kelly, the 2010-11 Heartland Conference Co-Player of the Year, was the Heartland Conference scoring leader, averaging 16.8 points and 5.5 rebounds per game, but missed the last three games of the season due to injury. Cannon, meanwhile, came on strong in Kelly's absence. The junior forward finished the regular season as Newman's leading scorer, posting 395 points in her first campaign with the Jets after a 38-point outing in the win at OPSU. Cannon was honored by the league's coaches as the 2010-11 Heartland Conference Newcomer of the Year.
If opponents can stop Kelly and Cannon, they will have to deal with
Rhea Codio, a senior transfer from the University of Kansas who averaged 13.1 points and better than four assists per game through the 2010-11 season. Codio earned Second Team All-Heartland Conference accolades for her efforts.
Alex Adekunle has also emerged as a force to be reckoned with. The 6-0 sophomore center averaged 9.6 points and 6.3 rebounds per game on her way to Honorable Mention All-Heartland Conference honors.
The Jets finished the season on an eight-game winning streak, and have won 10 of their last 11 contests. Their only Heartland Conference loss of the season came in an 84-79 decision to Texas-Permian Basin on Jan. 20 in Wichita
Scouting St. Edward's...
The Hilltoppers received their berth into the Heartland Conference Championship tournament in the form of a gift. St. Edward's finished fifth in the Heartland Conference regular season standings, but were awarded a spot in the tournament when it was discovered that fourth-placed Texas A&M International had not played the minimum number of NCAA DIv. II opponents required to be eligible for post-season play. As such, the Dustdevils were eliminated, and St. Edward's was awarded the No. 4 seed.
Despite their 9-16 overall record, the Hilltoppers have proven that they are not a team to be taken lightly. It took a last-second desperation three-pointer for Newman to defeat SEU in a 61-60 contest on Feb. 17 in Austin, Texas. The Hilltoppers ended their season on a high note with a 91-69 win over Oklahoma Panhandle State and earned momentum heading into the tournament.
St. Edward's is led by Haley Tidwell, a 5-10 senior forward who averages an even 10 points per game, and does her damage from long range, where she has drained 40 long balls this season. While she is the only Hilltopper averaging double figures, Brittany Ward, a 5-6 junior guard is right on her heels, averaging 9.7 points per game.
Newman vs. St. Edward's This Season...
Newman swept the Hilltoppers in the two-game conference series this season. The Jets picked up a 69-51 win in front of a national television audience on CBS College Sports on Jan.22 in Wichita, then held off the Hilltoppers for a 61-60 win on Feb. 17 in Austin.
The All Time Series...
St. Edward's leads the all-time series with Newman, 5-3.
