WICHITA, Kan. — With the end of the first half of the conference season approaching, the Newman women's basketball team is set to host Oklahoma Christian in Heartland Conference play Thursday evening at 5:30 at Fugate Gymnasium.
SCOUTING NEWMAN
The Jets (8-6, 2-4 Heartland) snapped a three-game skid with an impressive 70-53 victory over Oklahoma Panhandle Saturday. Junior Mali Wright set career highs in both points (28) and rebounds (15), shooting 12-of-19 from the field to lead the team. Senior Shaunice Robinson added 18 points, three assists and two steals, while junior Brianna Caldwell chipped in with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range.
LEADERS
Mali Wright, Junior-12.9 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 43.4 FG%
Shaunice Robinson, Senior-11.9 ppg, 2.5 apg, 2.4 rpg, 2.0 spg
Brianna Caldwell, Junior-9.9 ppg, 3.5 rpg, 1.4 spg, 36 3pt FGs
Erica Olerich, Junior-4.5 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 8 blocks, 43.5 FG%
Cierra Tjaden, Junior-4.4 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.1 spg
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Eagles (7-9, 4-2 Heartland) are 5-3 over their past eight games, with their only two conference losses coming to the two teams ahead of them in the standings, Lubbock Christian and St. Mary's. It took OC overtime to get past Texas-Permian Basin on the road Monday night after the Falcons charged back to tie things up in the fourth quarter. Three Eagles netted 20-plus points in the 101-94 win, with Sarah Parker leading the way with 24 to go with four rebounds and four assists. Sydney Hill turned in 21 points on top of team highs with eight rebounds and six assists, while Addy Clift scored 21 in addition to five boards and four steals.
LEADERS
Sarah Parker, Junior-16.1 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 42.5 FG %, 83.1 FT %
McKenzie Stanford, Junior-14.1 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 1.3 spg, 7 blocks
Addy Clift, Freshman-13.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 1.3 apg, 1.6 spg
Sydney Hill, Senior-9.9 ppg, 3.1 rpg, 4.1 apg, 1.6 spg
Daisha Gonzaque, Senior-5.1 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 1.9 apg
HISTORY LESSON
Oklahoma Christian has taken five of the six meetings between the two teams since Newman moved to Division II, including both games a year ago. The Jets' lone win did come in the friendly confines of Fugate Gymnasium, a 50-49 victory in the final meeting of the 2013-14 season.
NOTES
-The five 3-pointers the Jets made against OPSU Saturday tied their second-highest mark of the season, and it came on the fourth-fewest attempts, as the team put up its second-best shooting percentage from deep at 38.5 percent.
-The Heartland Conference standings are still bunched in the middle as the midway point nears. The Jets sit in eighth place in the 10-team field, but are just two games out of third place, which is where the Eagles sit entering Thursday's contest.
-Saturday was the fourth time in six conference games that Wright led the Jets in scoring, but the first time since November that the junior led the squad in rebounding.
-Despite tough outings against Texas A&M International and Lubbock Christian, Wright is still putting up 17.0 ppg and 7.3 rpg while shooting 46.4 percent from the field in Heartland Conference games this season.
-The Eagles lead the nation in free throws made, sinking 316 or nearly 20 per game. OC is second in the country in attempted field goals, and fifth in 3-point attempts, although the Eagles hit those shots from deep at just a 27.9-percent clip.
-OC also averages 78.4 points per game, which second in the conference, but gives up 78.1, which puts them next to last in the league. The Eagles have scored 100 points in each of their past two wins, and have netted at least 82 points in six of their past seven games.
COVERAGE
The game will air live on 1410 AM (KGSO) in Wichita, with live video, audio and statistics available at www.newmanjets.com.
