WICHITA, Kan. — A big third quarter propelled the Newman women's basketball team out to an insurmountable lead, as it rolled to its ninth straight win with a 75-43 victory over William Jewell in nonconference action Saturday afternoon at Fugate Gymnasium.
KEY SEQUENCE
A burst from the Jets (9-2) to start the second half started to build their lead over the Cardinals (4-4), but it was a huge run to end the third quarter that made the difference. Already up by 16 with 3:28 to go in the frame, Hannah Alexander converted a three-point play and added baskets on the next two possessions to kick-start an 11-0 run that put the Newman lead at 58-31 at the end of the quarter.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Alexander was hot from the start, hitting a jumper followed by a 3-pointer on the Jets' first two trips down the floor to make it an early 5-0 lead. The Cardinals would momentarily take the lead at 9-7, but a basket from Alexander, followed by a nifty three-point play gave the hosts the lead for good at the 3:42 mark.
-A 3-pointer from Cierra Tjaden a minute later made it a six-point game. Early in the second quarter, William Jewell cut the deficit to two at 17-15 after four straight points, but the Jets shot on a 14-3 run over a span of six minutes to push the lead into double figures for good. Bria DeGrate heated up during that stretch, sinking 10 points for the Jets.
-Mali Wright scored the first four points of the second half for Newman to start a 10-0 run that pushed the lead to 20 for the first time at 41-21 just over three minutes into the frame. DeGrate added four of her own, and while the Cardinals got as close as 16 down after a short burst and a 3-pointer with 3:28 to go in the third, the Jets turned it right back around.
-The finish to the third continued into the fourth for Newman, as Carolina Bianchi started the scoring, and Kendra Butler added back-to-back layups to make it a 17-0 run overall and a lead of 64-31 with 8:26 to play.
LEADERS
Newman
Points: Alexander, DeGrate 23. Rebounds: Alexander 8. Assists: DeGrate 4. Steals: DeGrate 2. Blocks: DeGrate, Wright 2.
William Jewell
Points: Hayden Butler 10. Rebounds: Chris Keys 7. Assists: Katie Finn 2. Steals: Keys 4. Blocks: Annemarie Boeh 1.
NOTES
-The Jets have now won nine games in a row, one off Newman's Division II record of 10, set during the Heartland Conference championship season of 2011-12.
-Newman held William Jewell to just 21.8-percent shooting from the field, the fourth time this season the Jets have held an opponent under 30 percent. It was also the fifth consecutive, and ninth time in 11 games, that the Jets have held an opponent to less than 60 points.
-DeGrate's 23 points came on 9-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc. Alexander set season high with her 23, the 10th straight game she's scored in double digits.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Jets wrap up nonconference play against Kansas Christian Tuesday evening back at Fugate Gymnasium.
