WICHITA, Kan. — Looking to get the second half of its Heartland Conference season as hot as it did the first, the Newman men's basketball team heads to Oklahoma Christian and St. Edward's this weekend.
SCOUTING NEWMAN
The Jets (6-11, 4-4 Heartland) suffered a pair of tough losses on another roadtrip last week, hanging tight with conference-leading Texas A&M International before the Dustdevils pulled away late for a 77-69 win, then coming back to force overtime before falling 97-86 at St. Mary's.
Leaders
Daniel Nwosu Jr.-18.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 1.9 apg, 25 stl, 41.1 FG%, 88.9 FT%
Taylor Schieber-16.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 1.5 apg, 37.1 3FG%, 89.5 FT%
Kevin Bryant-9.5 ppg, 8.2 rpg, 1.8 apg, 45.9 FG%
Daniel Green-7.8 ppg, 5.6 rpg, 57.1 FG%, 84.6 FT%
Jacob Birnbaum-6.5 ppg, 4.8 rpg, 16 blk, 55.0 FG%
SCOUTING THE EAGLES (Thursday, 7:30 p.m.)
Oklahoma Christian (6-11, 1-8 Heartland) has run into some tough luck in conference play, dropping eight straight since topping Oklahoma Panhandle in the opener. Last week, the Eagles fell to Dallas Baptist 83-70 and Lubbock Christian 75-72.
Leaders
Keilan Horton-17.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg, 1.2 apg, 49.7 FG%, 47.9 3FG%, 86.4 FT%
John Moon-15.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 44 blk, 63.1 FG%
Elijah Strickland-11.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 2.0 apg, 38.6 3FG%, 86.8 FT%
Dorian Lopez-9.4 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 1.2 apg, 43.2 FG%
Marcus Mathieu-8.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.1 apg, 85.7 FT%
SCOUTING THE HILLTOPPERS (Saturday, 3 p.m.)
St. Edward's (13-9, 5-4 Heartland) is one of many teams bunched into the middle of the Heartland standings at the midway point. The Hilltoppers have lost two straight after starting 5-2, as Lubbock Christian earned a 90-83 win last Thursday, and Dallas Baptist followed with a 103-66 victory.
Leaders
Ramir Burton-16.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 3.1 apg, 25 stl, 48.7 FG%
John Gramlich-14.1 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 2.4 apg, 24 stl, 36.0 3FG%, 84.8 FT%
James Taylor-12.5 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 48.6 FG%
Ethan Gilbert-11.5 ppg, 4.7 rpg, 1.6 apg, 33 stl, 39.5 3FG%
Cory McKendree-7.0 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 17 blk, 56.9 FG%
HISTORY LESSON
Newman's 86-71 victory over OC in December pushed its winning streak to five straight over the Eagles, while the Jets lead the series 7-2 since moving to Division II.
With their impressive 108-98 win over the Hilltoppers last month, the Jets have won two straight in the series, which SEU leads 11-8 overall.
NOTES
-After this roadtrip, the Jets play five of their final eight games at home, starting with three in six days next week.
-Daniel Nwosu put up a career-high 32 points Saturday against St. Mary's, keeping up his recent hot streak. The senior is averaging 24.5 points per game over his last six outings, and his 18.4 season average leads the Heartland.
-Despite its seven-game skid, the Eagles have not been giving up easy wins. Five of those seven were decided by six or fewer points, and three were by one possession.
-The Hilltoppers cause plenty of disruption, coming in at fifth in the country with a turnover margin of plus-5.7 per game. Five players have at least 20 steals on the season, including Sean Watkins, who leads the conference with 1.73 per game.
COVERAGE
Both games this weekend will feature live video and statistics, available at www.newmanjets.com.
