WICHITA, Kan. — Kicking off the closing stretch of the regular season, the Newman men's basketball team faces off against first-place Dallas Baptist in a 3 p.m. Heartland Conference matchup Saturday at Fugate Gymnasium.

SCOUTING NEWMAN

The Jets (14-9, 7-8 Heartland) picked up their first three-game conference winning streak of the season by going on a second-half tear to top Oklahoma Christian 76-58 Thursday evening on the road. That followed up wins of 84-76 against Lubbock Christian and 82-68 against Oklahoma Panhandle State to get Newman right back into the thick of things in the Heartland. Five players scored in double figures against the Eagles, led by Taylor Schieber's 13.

                LEADERS

                Gavin Thurman, Senior-15.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 1.4 apg, 46.6 FG%, 37.6 3FG%

                James Pegues, Senior-13.0 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 55.3 FG%, 83.6 FT%, 46.3 3FG%

                Jalen Love, Senior-10.8 ppg, 3.0 apg, 2.8 rpg, 1.1 spg

                Cortrael Colbert, Senior-7.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.4 spg

                Taylor Schieber, Junior-8.5 ppg, 1.2 rpg, 48.4 FG%, 42.5 3FG%

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT

The Patriots (17-5, 11-3 Heartland) are the hottest team in the conference, winning 11 of their past 12 games after dropping their first two in league play. Their lone loss in that stretch was by 21 to Lubbock Christian, but followed that up with wins by three over OPSU, two over St. Edward's and four over Texas-Permian Basin. DBU held off a strong charge from UTPB Monday, as Joey Miller netted 26 points, six assists and five rebounds.

                LEADERS

                Joey Morris-15.7 ppg, 4.0 apg, 3.5 rpg, 48.9 FG%, 42.4 3FG%

                Myles Johnson-14.0 ppg, 3.8 rpg, 42.3 FG%, 41.7 3FG%

                Patrick Burke-13.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 55.6 FG%

                Shannon Lilly-10.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 4.0 apg, 1.3 spg

                Tim Simmons-7.9 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 2.2 apg, 1.1 spg, 49.2 FG%

HISTORY LESSON

DBU's 84-76 victory in Dallas Jan. 18 was the Patriots' second in a row in the series, although the Jets are ahead 10-7 overall and have still won seven of the last 11. Newman is 6-2 against the Patriots at home, where they've won five of their past six. Jarvis Williams dumped in 21 points in the first meeting this season as the Jets' late charge fell just short.

NOTES

-The Patriots lead the Heartland in a number of categories, including scoring (87.6, which is also 17th in the country) and scoring margin (11.6). They are also 10th in the country averaging 17.8 assists per game, and dished out helpers on 28 of 31 made field goals in their last game.

-The Jets' magic number to clinch a bid to the Heartland Conference Tournament next month is down to one. A Newman win or an Oklahoma Christian loss at any point the rest of the season will seal a postseason trip. The Jets also still have a slim chance at sharing the league regular season title, which can happen if they win out and a number of other results fall their way.

-This matchup is between two of the hottest teams in the conference, with the Jets joining the Patriots and Rogers State as the only teams currently riding three-game winning streaks. Newman has been able to stunt some teams momentum over its winning streak though. LCU came in riding a five-game streak, OC had won two of three after suffering an eight-game losing streak, and OPSU was playing some of its best basketball of the season before facing the Jets.

COVERAGE

Saturday's game will be broadcast live on 1410 AM (KGSO) in Wichita, with live video, audio and statistics available at www.newmanjets.com.