WICHITA, Kan. — Jalen Love netted a season-high 30 points and Gavin Thurman added 21, but the Newman men's basketball team couldn't handle a hot-shooting Rogers State side, falling 81-67 in Heartland Conference play Thursday night at Fugate Gymnasium.
KEY SEQUENCE
With the Jets (11-6, 4-5 Heartland) holding close to the Hillcats (14-3, 6-3 Heartland) as the first half wound down, the RSU offense found a jolt, including on a three-point play and a fastbreak opportunity that ended in a pair of free throws, to score seven of the final nine points of the half and stretch the lead into double digits, where it would stay the rest of the way.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Thurman netted the first seven points for the Jets, breaking a 2-2 tie with a 3-pointer and a 5-5 draw on a baseline jumper. Kevin Bryant hit two free throws to give the hosts the lead once again after a short burst from the Hillcats, making it 11-10 five minutes in.
-The guests answered with another run, this time netting seven straight over the next three minutes to move in front. Love responded to that deficit on his own, going 3-of-3 on three straight possessions to draw things even at 17-all at the halfway point of the first half.
-A layup from Thurman followed less than a minutes later by an Easton Julian free throw pulled the Jets back to within one at 21-20 with eight minutes to go, but the Hillcats stretched the lead back out over those final minutes of the half, taking a 10-point advantage into the locker room.
-Thurman hit a layup to make it a 10-point lead once again 1:25 into the second half, but RSU rattled off the next seven points before Daniel Nwosu drilled a 3-pointer to make it 53-39 with 13:45 to go.
-Newman would pull to within 12 on a layup from Love a minute later, with the senior doing the same thing as the clock ticked under four minutes to play, bringing the score to 69-57. The Jets held with them, getting to within 12 two more times, but were unable to get any closer.
NOTES
-Love's 30 points were a new collegiate career high, besting the 22 he scored as a freshman at Denver. The senior shot 11-of-22 and added a game-high four assists and four rebounds.
-Thurman got back on his 20-plus-point track, dumping in 21 on 7-of-14 shooting, pulling in four rebounds. Bryant netted eight points and nine rebounds, leading the team in boards for the third time in the past five games.
-Outside of Love and Thurman, the Jets had a rough go of it, making just four other field goals. This came while the Hillcats wouldn't slow down, sinking 50.8 percent of their field goals.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Jets continue their midseason homestand with a 3 p.m. contest against Arkansas-Fort Smith Saturday.
