Women's Basketball | 12/18/2014 2:51:00 PM
WICHITA – The Newman women's basketball team plays its Heartland Conference opener on Thursday (Dec. 18) against St. Edward's at 5:30 p.m. at Fugate Gymnasium. The Jets are currently 3-5 on the season.
In NU's most recent contest, the Jets suffered a heartbreaking 58-55 loss to William Jewell on Saturday (Dec. 13) at Fugate Gymnasium.
Kesha Buckner scored a career-high 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting. She added a game-high and career-high seven steals. For the season, Buckner is fourth on the team in scoring at 7.3 points per game.
Cierra Tjaden averages a team-high 9.4 points and 4.3 assists per game.
Brianna Caldwell is right behind at 9.1 points per game. Freshman
DaJah Thompson leads the team in rebounding at 5.4 per game.
The Jets are 3-5 after playing the toughest non-conference schedule in NCAA Division II women's basketball. The schedule included three ranked teams, including the No. 1-ranked Emporia State Hornets.
In his third season, head coach
Darin Spence is 30-32, and he has a career record of 474-254.
The Hilltoppers are 6-2 on the season. The six wins include victories over Fort Lewis (58-54) and Texas A&M-Kingsville (68-44). The offense is led by Lexi Fatheree, who is averaging 15.8 points per game. Also in double figures is Mileka Loydrake at 14.4 points per game.
SEU's head coach J.J. Riehl is in her third season and is 38-25 overall.
It is the Heartland Conference season opener for both teams. The Hilltoppers hold a slight 7-6 edge in the all-time series since the Jets became NCAA Division II in 2008.
After tonight's game, NU takes on Texas-Permian Basin on Saturday (Dec. 20) at 1 p.m. inside Fugate Gymnasium.
