WICHITA, Kan. — A tough second half proved to be the difference as the Newman women's basketball team fell to St. Mary's 52-38 during homecoming festivities Thursday evening at Fugate Gymnasium.

KEY SEQUENCE

A cool start to the second half for the Jets (16-9, 7-4 Heartland) allowed the Rattlers (11-12, 5-5 Heartland) to start gaining ground, but a 15-1 run that covered over nine minutes of game action turned it from a seven-point Newman lead to a seven-point advantage for St. Mary's with less than seven minutes left to play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

-A Haley Albers 3-pointer shot the Jets out to a 5-0 lead, as the hosts led for nearly all the first three quarters. Hannah Alexander hit triples to push the advantage out to six and then seven points by the midway mark of the first quarter, and her jumper with 28 seconds left in the frame made it 15-8.

-Bria DeGrate sank four straight free throws early in the second to bump the lead to nine, and Erica Olerich hit a jumper with five minutes to go until the break to stretch it to a double-digit lead at 24-14. Olerich closed the first-half scoring with a bucket in the final seconds, staking the Jets to a nine-point lead.

-The Rattlers started the second half on a 19-3 run to take control. Dede Johnson buried a 3-pointer with 3:57 left in the game to make it a five-point game and keep the Jets in it, but St. Mary's was able to hold off a comeback attempt.

NOTES

-Despite the low-scoring total, eight Jets found their way into the scorebook, led by Alexander's 14 points. Olerich ended with five points and five rebounds.

WHAT'S NEXT

The Jets conclude homecoming weekend with their final home game of the season, hosting Texas A&M International for Senior Day Saturday.