CLAREMORE, Okla. – A strong second half defensive performance Thursday evening (Jan. 10) propelled the Newman University women's basketball team to a 69-62 win over Rogers State. The Jets improve to 10-5 on the year and start Heartland Conference play 1-0 while the Hillcats fall to 7-7 on the year and begin Heartland play 0-1.
After falling behind, 10-3 just before the midway part of the opening quarter, Kaitlyn Potter started a 7-0 Jets run drilling a triple in the corner before knocking down a jumper outside the paint making it, 10-10 with 3:36 to play in the first quarter. The Hillcats stormed back with five straight points ending the quarter with a 17-12 lead.
Faith Mason-Vestal got the scoring started for the Jets in the second quarter hitting a layup underneath cutting the deficit to 17-14 a minute into the quarter. The Jets evened the score up at 20-20 just before the midway point of the game with triples from Haley Albers and Potter. Just under a minute to play in the first half, Newman broke through for the first time taking their first lead of the game, 33-32 after a Dede Johnson free throw. The Hillcats would anser back knocking down a pair of free throws right before the break taking a 34-33 lead into the locker rooms.
After trailing by as many as four in the early stages of the third quarter, the Newman defensive pressure picked up creating havoc for the HIllcats. Abbey George put the Jets back in front 39-37 on a fast break layup coming off one of the Hillcats seven, third quarter turnovers, capping a 6-0 Newman run. The two teams continued to trade the lead back and forth five different times including four different ties in a span of 4:33. Late in the quarter, Potter and A. George extended the Jets lead to five, 53-48 with 1:25 to play. The Jets headed into the final quarter in front 54-51.
The defensive pressure continued to lead the way for the Jets' offense, forcing three straight Hillcats turnovers during a 7-0 run extending the lead to 61-51. After a RSU timeout, the Newman offense fell back into conservative mode, sparking a Hillcats 9-0 run over a 2:49 scoreless stretch. The offense would not get rattled, knocking down six of eight free throws in the final 38 seconds closing the game on a 6-0 run, 69-62.
The Jets defense forced 14 second half turnovers, led by Bria DeGrate who finished with five steals in the second half and seven for the game.
Kaitlyn Potter led the Jets in scoring for the fourth time in the last five game finishing with 18 points. DeGrate was the only other Jet to finish in double-digit scoring, adding in 11 points in 27 minutes.
The Jets will prepare for their Heartland Conference home opener next Thursday night (Jan. 17) at 5:30 p.m. against St. Mary's, inside the Fugate Gymnasium.
