FORT SMITH, Ark. — Early runs put it behind early, and the Newman men's basketball team suffered a 96-71 loss at the hands of No. 4/9 Arkansas-Fort Smith Saturday afternoon in Heartland Conference action.
KEY SEQUENCE
A big lead early in the game was whittled down to just a four-point deficit by the Jets (6-8, 3-1 Heartland), but the Lions (14-1, 3-1 Heartland) steadily built the advantage back up, reeling off a 14-3 run over a five-minute span to make it a 32-17 lead with 8:19 left in the opening half. The hosts would lead by at least 12 the rest of the way.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-Ben Ayre kicked off the scoring with a 3-pointer, and Tim Troussel put the Jets up 5-3, but UAFS responded with an 11-0 run to quickly turn it into a 14-5 game less than five minutes in. A layup from Dametrius Walker and a trey out of Damien Akao cut that back to a four-point game, and a pair of free throws from Walker made it 18-14 before the hosts went on their run.
-Ayre stopped the Lions' run with a 3-pointer with 8:01 on the clock, and although Newman didn't allow another extended streak, Fort Smith used a hot hand beyond the arc to add on to its lead. Ayre converted three free throws at the end of the half to cut it to 52-32.
-Early in the second half, Walker tried to get the Jets going with 3-pointers. One preceeded an Ayre layup to cut it to a 19-point game, and the second followed a Cameron Goldfinch bucket to make it an 18-point margin with 14:52 left.
-Back-to-back layups from Christian DeYoung and Tyjil Hereford capped an 8-2 run for Newman to cut it to 72-54. After a burst from UAFS, the Jets put up a 10-2 run, with Andre Sands and Kevin Bryant each chipping in three points.
NOTES
-Ayre led the way for the Jets with 19 points, while Walker chipped in 18. Bryant added 10 points and eight rebounds.
-Thanks to upsets of UAFS and Dallas Baptist this weekend, the Jets are still tied for first place in the Heartland standings at 3-1.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Jets begin their longest roadtrip of the season, taking on St. Mary's Thursday evening.
