CLAREMORE, Okla. — A huge first 13 minutes to the second half completely changed the game as the Newman men's basketball team earned a crucial 68-65 victory over Rogers State Wednesday night to keep its Heartland Conference title hopes alive.
KEY SEQUENCE
The Jets (14-12, 10-5 Heartland) held a double-digit lead with just over five minutes to play against the Hillcats (17-10, 8-7 Heartland), but needed to regroup when the hosts sliced it to four with 1:16 to go. Newman responded by making 11 of 13 free throws in those final 76 seconds, never allowing it to get to a one-possession game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
-A Cameron Goldfinch 3-pointer started the game, but the Hillcats responded with a 7-0 run to move in front by four. Newman started chipping away at the lead, but RSU netted five straight to build a 13-7 lead.
-Newman took the lead back with a 7-0 spurt, as Christian DeYoung and Kevin Bryant added buckets and Ben Ayre buried a 3-pointer to make it 14-13 at the 6:52 mark of the first half. Tim Troussel answered a Rogers State bucket with a 3-pointer to push the Jet lead to two, and Kevin Bryant posted back-to-back baskets to make it 21-19 after the Hillcats retook the lead.
-Dametrius Walker hit a 3-pointer with 16 seconds left in the half to tie it up heading to the break, and Ayre and Troussell broke a slow start to the second half with two straight baskets to make it a 7-0 run and a four-point lead for the Jets. That started a monster 28-10 run for Newman that covered much of the second half.
-The Jets put together two more runs of 7-0 and added a 6-0 run that pushed the lead out to 49-34 with less than seven minutes to play. Newman shot 10-of-14 from the floor and 4-of-5 from deep during the 14-minute run.
-A layup from Walker and a pair of free throws from Bryant each pushed the lead back out to 14 for the guests before the Hillcats slashed into the lead and tried to mount a late comeback. Bryant hit five freebies down the stretch, with Ayre, DeYoung and Damien Akao adding two each.
NOTES
-With the win, the Jets locked up a top-four seed in next week's Heartland Conference tournament. They can seal a top-three seed with a win Saturday against Dallas Baptist, and with that win and a loss by Arkansas-Fort Smith Thursday, the Jets would win their first-ever Heartland Conference regular season championship.
-Bryant matched a career high with 24 points, shooting 6-of-9 from the floor and 11-of-16 from the line. The senior added an impressive 11 rebounds for his seventh double-double of the season, and chipped in five steals and three assists.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Jets get a second chance against No. 24 Dallas Baptist Saturday, hosting the Patriots on Senior Day at Fugate Gymnasium with a shot at the Heartland title possibly still alive.
