WICHITA, Kan. — Charging back in the second half to turn what was once a double-digit lead into a one-possession game, the Newman men's basketball team wasn't quite able to catch Fort Hays State, falling 73-65 in a nonconference matchup at Fugate Gymnasium Tuesday night.
KEY SEQUENCE
Out playing their opponent for big chunks of the second half, the Jets (1-4) used a seven-point run late, keyed by Daniel Nwosu's three points, to pull to within two of the Tigers (3-2) with 1:48 to play. A single free throw bumped that back out to a three-point margin, but FHSU's Rob Davis hit the dagger, nailing a 3-pointer from 25 feet to double that lead and allow the guests to hold on.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Nwosu nailed a 3-pointer on the game's first possession to give Newman the early lead, but the pace slowed down from there, as the Tigers rolled off six straight points to take the lead as the clock ticked under the 17:00 mark.
-Taylor Schieber nailed another trey to tie things up on the next possession, and after a short spurt form FHSU, the Jets rattled off eight points in just over a minute to start a 12-4 run that helped them build an 18-14 advantage with 12:14 on the clock.
-The two sides traded five-point bursts, with Christian DeYoung nailing a 3-pointer and Allen Wilson following with free throws, but the Tigers answered that with six straight points, allowing them to eventually stretch their lead out to 34-28 at the break.
-Daniel Green and Schieber each sank a pair of free throws early in the second half for the Jets, but the Tigers were able to slowly build a lead into the double digits, as high as 13 at 49-36 just over three minutes into the half.
-That was as big of a lead as the guests would get though, as Newman ripped off a 9-0 run, starting with a layup from Nwosu. After a pair of free throws from the senior, Schieber followed with a big 3-pointer and a layup, both on feeds from Malik Abdur-Rahim, to make it 49-45 with 13 minutes to go.
-That was the beginning of a 17-4 run that saw the Jets climb the whole way back into the game, tying it on the second of back-to-back 3-pointers by Nwosu with 9:56 left to play, making it 53-53. Later, a DeYoung triple and a free throw from Abdur-Rahim tied it once again.
-Fort Hays again built a lead as big as nine with just over three minutes to play, but Newman started to bounce back in it before Davis' big shot.
LEADERS
Newman
Points: Nwosu 22. Rebounds: Green 8. Assists: Pierre Hayden 4. Steals: Nwosu, Hayden 2. Blocks: Green 2.
Fort Hays State
Points: Davis 24. Rebounds: Hadley Gillum 13. Assists: Davis, Trey O'Neil 4. Steals: Davis, Aaron Nicholson 2. Blocks: Gillum 4.
NOTES
-The Jets were hot from beyond the arc, sinking 11-of-28 from 3-point range. The 39.3-percent clip was the best performance in a game so far this season for Newman.
-Nwosu was slightly better than the team average, hitting 5-of-11 from deep and 7-of-15 from the field to record his team-high 22 points.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Jets get a few days off for the Thanksgiving holiday before heading to Rockhurst Saturday afternoon to continue nonconference play.
