Arkansas-Fort Smith (7-6, 0-0 Heartland) at Newman (8-4, 0-0 Heartland )
Saturday Jan. 7 || 12 p.m. || Fugate Gymnasium || Wichita, Kan.
Live Video || Live Stats || Live Audio
Newman Notes || Arkansas-Fort Smith Notes
WICHITA- The Newman men's basketball team will look to snap a two-game losing streak Saturday when Arkansas-Fort Smith comes to town to kick off Heartland Conference play. Tip-time is scheduled for 12 p.m. inside Fugate Gymnasium. The game will be broadcast live in Wichita by KGSO 1410 AM, with Jimmy Chavez and Bernie Pearson calling the action.
Jets Look to Rebound...
The Jets will look for their first victory since a 79-70 home win over Southwestern on Dec. 17. Senior Eric Saunders (12.2 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 3.5 apg) has been a constant on the stat sheets for Newman. The guard from Moberly, Mo. has scored in double-figures, in eight out of the Jets' 12 ball games.On Nov. 19 at Missouri S&T, Saunders tied a career-high with a 23 point out-burst he set on Jan. 29, 2011 at home against Oklahoma Panhandle State. Chuck Coley (9.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg) has shown to be a valuable asset to the Jets on both sides of the ball. A senior transfer from th University of Pacific, Coley leads Newman with 28 offensive rebounds.
As a team, the Jets are averaging 67.8 points per game, shooting 38.7 percent from the field. Newman is forcing 18.7 turnovers per game, 9.4 of which come by way of the steal. The Jets are undefeated inside Fugate Gymnasium, where they own a 5-0 mark this season.
Last Time Out...
Newman dropped its second consecutive game on Wednesday in a 71-48 decision at Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Okla. The Riverhawks started off hot from the opening tip, scoring the first six points of the game as part of a 10-2 opening run. At the 16:34 mark, junior guard Shamar Acuay started to make his mark on the game. In his first minutes of Division II basketball, the junior-college transfer from Colby CC, scored seven-straight points to keep Newman in the game. After a series of traded blows, NSU went on a 9-0 run to regain a 32-22 edge with 1:38 to play in the period. The Jets scored the final four points of the half and trailed 32-26 going into intermission.
The second half was an entirely different story for Newman. Taking less than three minutes to regain a double-digit lead, the Riverhawks dominated the period, hitting 40 percent (4-10) of their three-point attempts. Eric Saunders led the Jet offensive attack with 12 points and was the only Newman player in double-figures. As a team, the Jets shot 36.4 percent (20-55) from the field, and 7.7 percent (1-13) from long range.
Player to Watch...
Since making his Newman debut, Shamar Acuay has proven to be a valuable piece of the Jets' offense. The junior from Queens, N.Y. scored seven-straight points to pull Newman back into the ball game in the first half of Wednesday's loss at Northeastern State. Acuay is averaging 7.5 points and two rebounds per game thus far in his Newman career.
Scouting UAFS...
Arkansas-Fort Smith enters Saturday's match-up with a record of 7-6. Results from Thursday's conference opener against Oklahoma Panhandle State in Goodwell, Okla. were not available at press time. Junior forward Djordje Stojanovic (15.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg) has been the Lions go-to player thus far this season. Stojanovic has notched team-highs in scoring five times during the non-conference portion of the Lions' schedule, earning Heartland Conference Player of the Week twice in the first-half of the year. Guards Jake Toupal (13 ppg, 3.5 rpg) and Kelson Stewart (11.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg) join Stojanovic in double-figures. In a Jan. 6 meeting vs Hillsdale Free Baptist, Toupal set a career-high in scoring with 26 points. Stewart has scored in double-figures eight times so far this season.
As a team, UAFS is averaging 81.8 points per game, shooting 44.2 percent from the field, and a 39.2 percent clip from three-point-range. The Lions are out-scoring their opposition by 9.1 points per contest, committing only 15.7 turnovers per game. UAFS is holding its opponents to shooting 42.2 percent from the field, and 33.3 percent from beyond the arc. Entering Thursday's game at OPSU, the Lions are 0-2 away from the Stubblefield Center.
It's Game Time...
Saturday's game marks the fifth time the respective schools have met. With the all-time series tied at 2-2, Newman will look to gain the series lead. Since making the transition to Division II basketball in the Heartland Conference, the Jets are 1-1 in conference openers. Newman is also 1-1 in Heartland Conference openers when playing inside Fugate Gymnasium.
