WICHITA – Cortrael Colbert hit a game-winning layup with 2 seconds remaining to give the Newman men's basketball team a 90-88 victory over UA Fort Smith on Thursday (Feb. 19) at Fugate Gymnasium. The Jets moved to 13-10 and 9-8 in the Heartland Conference. NU is one game back of the fourth seed in the conference tournament.
 
Colbert drove the right side of the lane and hit a contested layup with 2 seconds left to put NU up 90-88. UAFS threw up a long 3-point heave at the buzzer, but the shot was well short, and the Jets held on for the victory.
 
With the Lions up by one at 85-84, Reggie Baker hit a layup for an 86-85 NU lead with 1:58 remaining. UAFS was fouled on their next possession, and Dusan Stojanovic hit one-of-two free throws to the tie score at 86-86 with 1:32 left. Colbert put NU up by two at 88-86 with a 15-foot jumper with 45 seconds remaining. UAFS knotted the score again with a Stojanovic layup with 27 seconds left for an 88-88 score.
 
The Jets erased a 19-point deficit. Kenny Martin made a layup at the 6:07 mark of the first half to put the Lions in front, 45-26.
 
NU scored 10 straight points to pull to within nine at 45-36 with 3:48 left in the half. Ryan McCarthy hit back-to-back 3s and Baker scored four points during the run. The deficit was nine points at halftime at 53-44.
 
Down by 12 points in the second half at 61-49 with 17:15 remaining, the Jets went on another 10-0 run. James Pegues started the spurt with two free throws then Colbert hit a fastbreak layup. Baker knocked down a jumper at the 15:59 mark for a 61-55 score then Colbert scored and Jeremy Espinoza put in a layup at the 15:00 mark for a 61-59 score.
 
McCarthy gave NU its first lead of the game with a jumper in the paint with 12:14 remaining for a 66-65 NU edge. The Jets pushed the margin to eight points at 74-66 after two Colbert free throws with 9:15 remaining. Espinoza, Baker and McCarthy all hit layups before the two Colbert free throws.
 
The Lions tied the score at 78-78 with 6:02 left on a Seth Youngblood 3. UAFS scored the next five points to open up an 83-78 edge with 4:50 remaining.
 
The margin was still five at 85-80 after two Kenny Martin free throws with 4:13 remaining, but Espinoza pulled the Jets back into it with a free throw and a 3-pointer at the 3:28 mark for an 85-84 score.
 
Colbert, a junior point guard from Midwest City, Okla., totaled a double-double with a game-high 24 points and 10 assists. Senior forward Jeremy Espinoza added 20 points, including four 3s. Senior guard Ryan McCarthy scored 19 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Reggie Baker, a junior guard, finished with 16 points.
 
The Jets shot 47.8 percent (33-69) from the field, including 51.6 percent (16-31) in the second half.
 
NU's defense held the Lions to 37.1 percent (13-35) in the second half after hitting 60 percent (21-35) in the first half. For the game, UAFS shot 48.6 percent.
 
Youngblood tallied 22 points to lead UAFS. Alex Cooper added 18 points and six assists. Martin finished with 17 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Jets end their home schedule on Saturday (Feb. 21) against Rogers State at 3 p.m. inside Fugate Gymnasium.