WICHITA, Kan. — Mali Wright turned in a 12-point, 10-rebound performance and Shaunice Robinson and Cierra Tjaden also scored in double figures as the Newman women's basketball team used a lopsided middle two quarters to dispatch Bethany College Monday evening at Fugate Gymnasium.
The Jets (4-2) went an impressive 26-of-36 from the free-throw line in the foul-filled contest to help hold the Swedes (3-6) at bay down the stretch. Wright put up her second double-double of the season, going 4-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 at the stripe while pulling in three offensive boards and adding three assists and a steal, while Robinson netted 13 points to go with five steals and Tjaden added 11 points.
Wright's first basket of the game tied things at 2-2 early, and a jumper with 5:47 left in the opening frame made it 5-4 and took away the final lead that Bethany would enjoy on the night. The advantage stretched as high as five after Robinson converted on a pair of freebies with 73 seconds left in the quarter, but the Swedes would march back to tie things at 16-all by the end of the first.
A Tjaden jumper on the opening possession of the second quarter handed the hosts the lead for good. That kickstarted a 14-3 run in which points were scored by six different Jets over five minutes to push the lead to 11 at 30-19. The margin would hover around there for the rest of the opening half, as a steal and a layup on the other end by Natalia Hausmann was the final made field goal of the second quarter nearly five minutes from the halftime break.
The guests converted to cut the lead to seven less than a minute into the third quarter, but Newman would close out the period on a massive 26-6 run to pull away. Wright, Tjaden and Bria DeGrate each had five points during the nine-plus-minute stretch, while Robinson netted seven, including five in an 18-second span that took the lead from 42-28 to 47-28. The Jets scored 10 points in the paint in the quarter, nine off of turnovers and eight on fastbreaks to help cushion their lead. They went 5-of-7 from the line in a sloppy fourth quarter to maintain the 20-point advantage.
The Jets forced 25 turnovers and recorded 19 steals, with nine players recording at least one theft and Brianna Caldwell and Hausmann each turning in three to follow Robinson. Newman won the rebounding game 43-36 and assisted on 12 of its 20 made field goals. Caldwell put up eight points and was second on the team with five rebounds, while Kesha Buckner went for six points, two rebounds, five assists, four blocks and two steals to fill the stat sheet.
The Jets are back at home Thursday evening, hosting Central Christian in a 7 p.m. tipoff at Fugate Gymnasium.
