FORT SMITH, Ark. — Getting back to work after a holiday break, the Newman women's basketball team ran into a tough challenge at Arkansas-Fort Smith, falling 79-62 to kick off its first Heartland Conference roadtrip of the season Saturday afternoon.
KEY SEQUENCE
The Jets (10-5, 0-3 Heartland) were locked up in a back-and-forth affair with the Lions (7-6, 2-1 Heartland) for the first seven minutes of the opening quarter, but UAFS built its lead with a 7-0 burst that helped move the lead into double digits.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Hannah Alexander answered a UAFS bucket to open the game with a 3-pointer off a feed from Cierra Tjaden to put the Jets up 3-2. An Alexander jumper tied it at 5-5, and a pair of free throws from Bria DeGrate drew it even at 7-all just over three minutes in.
-An eight-minute span saw the Lions put up an 18-4 run up until the midway point of the second quarter. Buckets from Alexander and DeGrate helped keep the lead manageable throughout the end of the first half.
-Mali Wright kicked off the second half with three of the first four baskets to twice cut the deficit to 14 points. A Natalia Hausmann 3-pointer followed by a free throw from DeGrate gave the guests a quick 4-0 run with four minutes left in the third.
-A strong finish to the game saw Newman rip off nine straight points in just over 90 seconds, as Iva Krstevska nailed a 3-pointer, followed by layups out of Hausmann and Carolina Bianchi bolstering the run.
LEADERS
Newman
Points: Alexander 16. Rebounds: Hausmann 7. Assists: Alexander 4. Steals: DeGrate, Tjaden 2. Blocks: 3 with 1.
Arkansas-Fort Smith
Points: Zhanesha Dickerson 17. Rebounds: Dickerson, Tayla Taylor 10. Assists: Micayla Haynes 5. Steals: Maya Perry 4. Blocks: Olivia Hanson 2.
NOTES
-The Jets continued to force turnovers out of their opponent, as UAFS gave the ball away 21 times in the contest. In 15 games this year, Newman has forced at least 20 turnovers nine times, and at least 17 in all but one.
-Alexander netted her 16 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field, while Hausmann finished with 12 points to go along with her seven boards.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Jets make the short trip to Claremore, Oklahoma to open 2017 with a matchup against Rogers State Monday afternoon.
