LUBBOCK, Texas — Trailing by double digits in both the first and second half, the Newman men's basketball team charged back both times to hang right with Lubbock Christian, but ultimately fell 80-76 Thursday night in Heartland Conference play.

KEY SEQUENCE

The Jets (8-16, 6-9 Heartland) mounted a nice comeback after going down by 11 in the second half, but a layup by the Chaparrals (15-10, 9-6 Heartland) with two minutes to put them back in front and proved to be the difference, as Newman turned the ball over twice looking for a go-ahead or tying shot and LCU hit free throws to ice it.

HOW IT HAPPENED

-An even game to start things out opened up when Kevin Bryant recorded back-to-back layups and converted the and-one on the second to push the Jets out to a 9-4 lead just over five minutes in. LCU drew even a minute later at 11-11.

-An Allen Wilson 3-pointer put the Jets ahead once again on the next possession, but the Chaps pushed ahead thanks to a 10-2 run over the next three minutes. Newman stuck with it, trailing by four or five through when Daniel Green converted a pair of free throws to make it 29-25 with 5:50 left in the first half.

-From there, LCU used a couple of big 3-pointers and hit from the free throw line to build its lead as big as 12 at 39-27, and was still up 43-32 with 2:24 on the clock. After a minute with no scoring, the Jets closed the half on a 10-1 run over the final 92 seconds to get right back in it. Wilson had five of those points, and Daniel Nwosu Jr. nailed a triple just before the buzzer to make it 44-42.

-The two sides traded baskets to open the second half, but a Taylor Schieber jumper and two free throws from Bryant got Newman as close at it had been since early in the first half at 49-48 at the 17:23 mark.

-The Chaps followed with an steady 10-0 run, and led by 10 as late as 63-53 with 12:49 on the clock. The Jets got right back in it with four points over the next 46 seconds to pull it to 63-57. A Schieber 3-pointer cut it to three, and another from Damien Akao made it 67-65 with 8:56 to go.

-Free throws from Schieber made it a two-point game again after an LCU basket, and the senior's 3-pointer at the 7:57 mark gave Newman the lead at 70-69. The teams traded leads voer the next few minutes, with buckets from Jacob Birnbaum, Schieber and Green each putting the Jets in front, but the hosts answered the final one with a layup of their own and held on.

LEADERS

Newman
Points: Taylor Schieber 21. Rebounds: Daniel Green, Kevin Bryant 6. Assists: Damien Akao 3. Steals: Jacob Birnbaum 2. Blocks: Birnbaum 2.

Lubbock Christian
Points: Brennen Fowler 18. Rebounds: Ridrell Holman 5. Assists: Marcus Arrington 5. Steals: 4 with 1. Blocks: Fowler 2.

NOTES

-Schieber, who is second on the team in scoring, got back into an offensive rhythm, netting his 21 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the field and 8-of-10 from the line. It's his sixth effort of at least 20 points this season, but first since going for 20 against the Chaps on Jan. 30.

-The Jets had one of their best nights of the season from the free throw line, finishing 20-of-22 (90.9 percent). It's the eighth time this year they scored 20 points from the stripe, and the percentage is their second-best, after going a perfect 19-of-19 against Oklahoma Panhandle State on Jan. 7.

-The loss means Newman still has some work to do to lock up a second straight trip to the Heartland Conference tournament, although that feat can be accomplished with either a win on Saturday or an Oklahoma Christian loss. By winning out, the Jets can possibly move as high as the sixth seed.

WHAT'S NEXT

Newman closes out its final regular season roadtrip of the year with a game Saturday afternoon at Dallas Baptist.