Men's Basketball | 2/12/2015 3:48:00 PM

WICHITA – The Newman men's basketball team looks to stay in the Heartland Conference tournament race tonight (Feb. 12) as the Jets take on Oklahoma Christian at 7:30 p.m. in Fugate Gymnasium. Live stats, video and audio via KGSO 1410 AM will be available.
 
The Jets are tied for fifth in the Heartland Conference race for the postseason tournament. NU is only one game back from the fourth seed. The top four teams advance to the conference tournament. Rogers State and Lubbock Christian are not eligible for postseason play.
 
NU is currently 7-7 and 11-9 overall. In their most recent game, LCU snapped the Jets' three-game winning streak with a 79-67 victory on Feb. 7. Before the loss, NU defeated Texas A&M International, St. Mary's and Oklahoma Panhandle State. Although their winning streak was ended, the Jets have won four straight games at Fugate Gymnasium dating back to Jan. 10 when NU defeated OPSU, 95-77. During the stretch, the Jets won over Dallas Baptist, TAMIU and St. Mary's. The Jets are 9-3 at home this season.
 
Junior guard Reggie Baker leads the team in scoring at 20.9 points per game, which ranks No. 2 in the Heartland Conference. He also pulls down a team-high 6.3 rebounds per game. Senior forward Jeremy Espinoza adds 13.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. Junior point guard Cortrael Colbert totals 12.7 points and 5.0 assists per game. His assist total is the tops in the conference. Junior forward James Pegues has an 11.8 points per game average, and Ryan McCarthy also averages double figures at 10.4 points per game.  
 
The Eagles are currently 4-16 and 2-12 in the Heartland Conference. In their most recent contest, OC defeated OPSU by the score of 104-71 in Goodwell, Okla. Sophomore center John Moon totaled 32 points and 12 rebounds. Also with a double-double was Eric Randall with 29 points and 15 rebounds. The Eagles shot 57.8 percent against the Aggies. For the season, Moon averages a team-high 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Randall adds 13.9 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
 
In the first matchup of the season, the Jets pulled away for a 72-62 win on Jan. 15 in Oklahoma City. Baker totaled a game-high 25 points, including seven 3-pointers. Pegues finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds. Moon tallied 19 points and eight rebounds for OC.
 
The Jets go on the road after tonight's game, playing at Dallas Baptist on Saturday (Feb. 14). Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. in Dallas.