WICHITA, Kan. — Getting a reprieve from facing the top four teams in the conference in the past four games, the Newman men's basketball team looks to get back on a winning streak as it faces St. Mary's at 3 p.m. Saturday in a Heartland Conference matchup.

SCOUTING NEWMAN

The Jets (11-8, 4-7 Heartland) have shown the ability to play with the best in the conference over the past two weeks despite dropping their past four games. That showed up again Thursday evening against first-place Texas A&M International, as Newman charged back from down 12 with less than nine minutes to play to force the game into two overtimes. James Pegues turned in a double-double, going for 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Jalen Love hit the game-tying 3-pointer at the end of regulation and finished with 10 points, six assists and two steals.

                LEADERS

                Gavin Thurman, Senior-16.7 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.5 apg, 47.3 FG%, 36.3 3FG%

                James Pegues, Senior-13.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 57.8 FG%, 82.8 FT%, 39.4 3FG%

                Jalen Love, Senior-11.2 ppg, 3.2 apg, 2.6 rpg, 1.0 spg

                Jarvis Williams, Junior-11.0 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 44.1 FG%

                Cortrael Colbert, Senior-8.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.5 spg

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

The Rattlers (7-12, 3-8 Heartland) snapped a four-game losing streak Thursday evening by topping Oklahoma Christian 70-66 at home. StMU had lost eight of their previous nine games before topping the Eagles, although that lone victory during that stretch was over second-place Rogers State. Against OC, the Rattlers went off on a 14-3 run to take control in the final minutes and seal the win. Yanni Wetzell scored 24 points and added eight rebounds in the victory, while Isaiah Parros chipped in with 11 points, six boards, three assists and two steals.

                LEADERS

                Kriston Minor, Senior-15.0 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 44.9 FG%

                Yanni Wetzell, Freshman-10.9 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 49.7 FG%

                Trey Hall, Junior-10.0 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 1.8 apg, 1.4 spg

                Isaiah Parros, Junior-8.2 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 2.5 apg, 1.9 spg, 41.9 3FG%

                Bryce Smith, Senior-7.8 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 1.3 spg, 37.9 3FG%

HISTORY LESSON

The Jets are on a two-game winning streak after topping the Rattlers 88-68 on New Year's Eve. That bumped Newman's record against StMU to 7-12 since moving to Division II, although the Jets have not won in San Antonio since the 2009-10 season. In the win earlier this year, Thurman went for 24 points and eight rebounds, while Daniel Nwosu added 17 and seven.

NOTES

-The Jets are trying to avoid their first five-game losing streak since December 2013. They have never lost five straight Heartland Conference games in the eight-plus seasons in the league.

-Newman hit 35-of-42 free throws Saturday against TAMIU, setting season highs in both makes and attempts. The 83.3 percentage was the second best of the conference season for the Jets, and upped their season percentage to 74.7, which is third in the conference and 43rd in the nation.

-Pegues led the team in scoring for the first time since going for 21 against Fort Hays State on Nov. 24. The senior pocketed 17 of his 19 points in regulation and pulled in all of his game-high 14 rebounds in the first 40 minutes.

-The Rattlers have one of the better scoring defenses in the country, allowing just 70.1 points to opponents, but put up just 66.3 themselves. That scoring offense has gone up a tick in conference play, where they are averaging 70.2 points per game.

COVERAGE

Live video and statistics from Saturday's 3 p.m. tipoff from San Antonio will be available at www.newmanjets.com.