LUBBOCK, Texas — Facing a deficit the entire night thanks to a big first five minutes by its opponent, the Newman women's basketball team made late charges, but couldn't get things rolling in a 70-56 defeat at No. 2 Lubbock Christian Thursday night in Heartland Conference action.
KEY SEQUENCE
The Jets (17-10, 8-5 Heartland) had to fight from behind against the Lady Chaps (23-1, 12-0 Heartland), as LCU started the game on a 14-0 run. The hosts sank their first three field goal attempts, followed with a pair of free throws, and added two 3-pointers a minute later to build a double-digit lead that held up the rest of the game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-The Lady Chaps' hot start built a quick lead, but Hannah Alexander got the Jets on the board with a jumper at the 4:26 mark of the first quarter. Alexander added three more field goals and two free throws, while a three-point play from Nia Roberts in the final minute cut the lead to 19-11.
-Roberts started the second period with a 3-pointer to cap a 14-5 run by Newman, but LCU rattled off the next 11 points to build a 16-point lead just over three minutes into the quarter. Alexander and Roberts followed that up with two straight buckets to cut it to a 12-point game, and Alexander made it 34-24 at the 2:54 mark before the Chaps scored the final four to make it a 14-point lead at the break.
-The Lady Chaps were able to make it an 8-0 run spanning the halftime break, but Newman started chipping away with jumpers out of Alexander and Alex George midway through the third. Free throws from Bria DeGrate, followed by a basket from George helped slice it back to a 10-point LCU lead, but the Jets couldn't get it to single digits.
-Newman would get a bit of momentum rolling at different times in the fourth, but LCU seemed to have an answer every time. Free throws from Haley Albers cut it to 10, but the Chaps followed with a layup. A 3-pointer from DeGrate made it an 11-point game, but the hosts responded on the next possession with a trey of their own.
NOTES
-Alexander finished with 25 points on 11-of-20 shooting, her sixth 20-point game in 13 Heartland Conference contests.
-The league playoff picture is starting to become clearer, as Lubbock Christian sealed the regular season crown with Thursday's win. The Jets are locked into a top-four seed, along with Arkansas-Fort Smith and St. Mary's, with any of the three capable of getting any of the second through fourth seeds.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Jets get nearly a week off before wrapping up their regular season with a game at Rogers State Wednesday.
