WICHITA, Kan. — Winners of four of its past five games, the Newman men's basketball team begins a week that features games against three of the top four teams in the Heartland Conference with a Monday trip to Dallas Baptist in a 7 p.m. tipoff.
SCOUTING NEWMAN
The Jets (10-4, 3-3 Heartland) earned its second straight victory with a 72-63 win over Oklahoma Christian Thursday in their only game last week. Gavin Thurman's 19-point, 10-rebound double-double led the way for Newman, while James Pegues added 12 points and eight boards. Jarvis Williams chipped in with 12 points and five assists, while Daniel Nwosu made it four players in double figures with 11 points.
LEADERS
Gavin Thurman, Senior-16.9 ppg, 6.1 rpg, 0.87 bpg, 49.5 FG%, 41.3 3FG%
James Pegues, Senior-14.1 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 0.93 spg, 65.0 FG%, 82.7 FT%
Jarvis Williams, Junior-11.1 ppg, 2.7 apg, 2.5 rpg
Jalen Love, Senior-9.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 2.9 apg
Cortrael Colbert, Senior-9.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.9 spg
SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The Patriots (11-4, 5-2 Heartland) are the hottest team in the Heartland Conference, winning five straight after dropping their first two league games back in December. DBU's last game was also against OC, picking up a 95-60 victory at home Saturday that saw six players net at least eight points. Joey Miller led with 19 points, while Shannon Lilly pocketed 18 and seven rebounds. Amari Bryant added 15 points and five assists, with Tim Simmons going for 12 points, five boards and three assists.
LEADERS
Myles Johnson, Junior-14.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 45.0 3FG% (45-of-100)
Joey Miller, Senior-14.1 ppg, 3.9 apg, 3.0 rpg, 1.1 spg, 86.3 FT%
Patrick Burke, Sophomore-12.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 54.1 FG%
Shannon Lilly, Senior-11.9 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.9 apg, 1.4 spg, 44.3 3FG%
Tim Simmons, Senior-8.8 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 1.5 spg, 51.0 FG%
HISTORY LESSON
The Jets lead the series 10-6 since their move to Division II, winning four of the past six and seven of the last nine. The two teams have split eight meetings in Dallas, with Newman winning two of the last three on the road despite dropping last year's away game 90-86 in overtime.
NOTES
-After the first weekend of Heartland Conference play, the Jets and the Patriots were tied at the bottom of the standings with matching 0-2 records. DBU is guaranteed to stay in the top three after Monday's game, while a Newman victory forces a four-way tie for third place.
-After Monday's game, the Jets head home to face fourth-place Rogers State (5-3 in the Heartland) Thursday, followed by second-place Arkansas-Fort Smith (6-2). Newman handed first-place Texas A&M International its only conference loss of the season when the teams played at Fugate Gymnasium.
-The 72 points Newman scored against OC was its lowest scoring output in a win so far this season, bolstered by the fact that the 63 points they allowed was the second-lowest overall this year. The Jets have given up 72.0 points per game over their 4-1 stretch over their past five games.
-Pegues shot 5-of-9 from the field against the Eagles to score 12 points, his third straight game with double-digit points, and his eight boards were his second-highest output of the season.
-Williams kept his hot play going over the past two weeks, shooting 46.4 percent from the floor and 47.4 percent from 3-point range over the last three games to average 13.3 ppg and 3.0 spg.
-The Patriots lead the conference and are 11th in the nation, putting up 91.2 points per game. Their 16.1 scoring margin is second in the league, and even including the five-point overtime win against Texas-Permian Basin, DBU has outscored opponents by an average of 21.2 over its past five games.
COVERAGE
Live video and statistics for the 7 p.m. game will be available at www.newmanjets.com.
