Games 2 & 3:
Newman (0-1, 0-0 MIAA) @ UCO Classic
 
vs. Oklahoma Christian (1-0, 0-0 LSC)
Friday, November 18, 2022 | 5:30 p.m. | Edmond, Oklahoma (Hamilton Field House)
Audio: None | Video:  MIAA Network | Live Stats:  UCO Athletics
 
vs. Missouri S&T (1-2, 0-0 GLVC)
Saturday, November 19, 2022 | 4:30 p.m. | Edmond, Oklahoma (Hamilton Field House)
Audio:  ESPN 104.9 | Video:  MIAA Network | Live Stats:  UCO Athletics
 
GETTING ON THE BOARD
The Navy & Red seek their first win against local foes this weekend.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Jets whittled a 22-point deficit down to five in the fourth quarter but ran out of steam in a 99-90 loss to Wayne State College Nov. 11 to open the 2021-22 season.  The Jets were dominated in the first quarter as the Wildcats built a 27-14 lead after the first 10 minutes.  The Jets trailed by 19 with less than two minutes to play in the third quarter, but the Navy & Red weren't ready to give up.  The Jets blitzed WSC with a quick 9-1 run to end the quarter down 67-56 going into the final stanza.  NU kept building momentum as the run reached 15-1 and the Jets were down 67-62 just seconds into the fourth quarter.  The Jets chopped the lead as low as two possessions four more times but ran out of gas as Wayne State hit their free throws to seal it down the stretch.  Sophomore guard Lauryn Dubbert led the Jets with a career high 24 points.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
SCOUTING THE SQUADRON
Newman finished 2021-22 with a 3-25 record while going 1-21 in MIAA play.  The Navy & Red return seven players from last year's team including top scorer Britney Ho, who averaged 10.4 ppg.  Ho also led the Jets in total rebounds averaging 5.1 rpg and was the team's best field goal shooter at 49%.  Senior Carissa Beck averaged 32 mpg last year while playing and starting in all 28 contests for the Jets.  Beck scored 6.5 ppg while leading Newman with 51 3-pointers and connecting on 36.7% of her shots from the outside.  Sophomore Lauryn Dubbert was third on the team in assists last year with 59.
 
Newman will carry three seniors on the roster this season while integrating four freshmen into the program.  The Jets welcome eight transfers to the roster in 2022-23 including four from the junior college level, three from NCAA Division II, and one from NCAA Division I.  The Jet lineup features two graduate students, four juniors, and six sophomores.
 
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Oklahoma Christian seeks improvement in 2022-23 after a disappointing 2-21 campaign last season that saw the Eagles go 2-12 inside the Lone Star Conference.  After a season-opening win against York, the Eagles lost their next 18 games before picking up road wins against old Heartland Conference mates St. Mary's and St. Edward's.   The Eagles are looking for their first winning conference record since going 7-6 in the Lone Star during the Coronavirus-shortened 2020-21 season.  The Eagles have finished with single-digit wins in each of the last three seasons since a 12-16 campaign in 2018-19 during Oklahoma Christian's last year as a Heartland Conference member.  The Eagles have finished with a losing record in each of the last five seasons since eking out a 15-14 mark in the 2016-17 season while finishing 10-6 in the Heartland Conference.  The Eagles return their top two scorers and two of their top three rebounders from a season ago.  Oklahoma Christian was picked 14^th in the 2022-23 LSC Women's Basketball Preseason Poll.
 
The Eagles snapped a three-game losing streak dating back to last season with an 89-53 season-opening win against York Nov. 5.  Brooklin Bain paced OC with 20 points.
 
Missouri Science & Technology is looking to continue their improvement from a season ago as they begin 2022-23.  The Miners finished 11-16, 8-12 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference a season ago, an improvement of seven and four wins respectively from the 2020-21 season.  The Miner season ended with a loss to No. 6 seed Illinois-Springfield in the first round of the GLVC Tournament.  The Miners have suffered nine losing seasons in a row and haven't finished with a winning record since a 16-12 campaign in 2012-13.  That is also the last year the Miners finished above .500 in conference play going 10-7 against GLVC foes.  That season ended a stretch of eight-straight years for S&T without a losing mark while finishing with a winning conference record in six of those eight seasons.  The Miners are seeking their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011 when they finished 20-8 overall with a 14-4 mark in GLVC action.  The Miners return four of their top five scorers from a year ago to go along with their top four rebounders from last season.  Missouri S&T was picked seventh in this year's GLVC preseason coaches' poll.
 
The Miners hosted Baptist Bible in their home opener on Tuesday.  After allowing the first four points of the game, S&T ended the first quarter on a 32-1 run and crushed the Patriots 88-48 to pick up their first win of the year.  Addyson Kent led the Miners with 18 points.
 
THE SERIES
Oklahoma Christian leads the series 13-7, but the Jets have taken the last three and five of the last seven.  As Heartland Conference foes, Oklahoma Christian went 10-6 against the Jets.  The Eagles lead 10-7 in the NCAA Division II era against the Navy & Red.  The postseason series is tied 1-1 and OC leads the nonconference series 3-1 between the two rivals.  The teams met three times as NAIA schools, all won by the Eagles.
 
This will be the first matchup between the Jets and Miners.
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUP
In Newman's first road game of the season, NU traveled to familiar territory in Oklahoma City to face an old Heartland Conference rival November 18, 2019.  In the first nonconference game between the two schools since 1988, the Navy & Red prevailed in a defensive struggle to beat Oklahoma Christian 56-44 at the Payne Athletic Center.  The Jets started hot on a 9-0 run thanks to two 3-pointers by Kaitlyn Potter on the way to a 17-11 lead at the end of the first.  The Jets fell into their familiar second-quarter lull after that as the Eagles used an 18-0 run in the frame to lead by six with just under two minutes to go.  NU rebounded quickly to score eight-straight points to lead 31-29 at the break.   The Jet defense took the game over in the final 20 minutes holding OC to just 6-for-26 shooting (23.1%) in the half while limiting the Eagles to just 1-for-10 shooting from outside the arc.  Each team was sloppy offensively with NU turning the ball over 18 times and the Eagles giving it away 19 times, but the Jets took far more advantage of Oklahoma Christian's mistakes and outscored the Eagles 20-7 in points off turnovers.  Potter led all scorers with 22 points.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
The Jets have never met Missouri S&T on the basketball court until this weekend.
 
POINTS 'A PLENTY
It appears that games involving the Jets are going to be high scoring in 2022-23.  The 90 points for NU in their season opening defeat at Wayne State College set a record for most points by the Jets in a game they lost.  The Jets had previously scored 86 points in defeat twice; a 93-86 setback at Central Oklahoma in 2012, and a 114-86 loss at Fort Hays State in 2013.  All three of these games have occurred on the road for the Navy & Red.  The 99 points allowed were the first time the Jets had allowed 90-99 points since a 90-44 loss at #5 Fort Hays State December 19, 2021.  It was the first time the Jets had scored 90-99 points since a 91-23 blowout win over Manhattan Christian College November 27, 2021.
 
THIS AIN'T A SCENE… IT'S A FREE THROW CONTEST
Either the teams didn't adjust to the officials, or the officials didn't adjust to the players in NU's season opener at Wayne State College.  The teams combined to shoot a whopping 78 charity shots in the game.  Both teams connected at better than 78.9% at the line with the Jets knocking down 30 free throws while the Wildcats connected on 31.  The 30 free throws by the Jets were five shy of the program record of 35 set against Texas A&M International on January 13, 2018, in Wichita.  The Jets were six attempts short of tying that all-time mark of 44 set on the road at Central Oklahoma February 4, 2012.  Ex-Heartland Conference foe Arkansas-Fort Smith owns the NU opponent records in both categories with a 41-for-53 performance at the line against the Jets in Wichita February 7, 2011.
 
PUTTING IN THE TIME
Before last season, no Jet had logged 40 minutes in a game since 2016.  That season, Shaunice Robinson and Bria DeGrate each played at least 40 minutes in a 63-58 defeat in overtime to Rogers State February 20, 2016, in Claremore, Okla.  Last season, Carissa Beck played every minute of the game five times, including a stretch of three out of four games in late January.  Beck logged over 32 minutes per game last season and was the first Jet to register over 900 minutes since Bria DeGrate played 925 minutes in 31 games in the 2018-19 season.  Beck played 149 more minutes than the second-most used Jet last season and logged 39 minutes in two other games last year while playing at least 30 minutes in 20 of her 28 games a year ago.
 
INTERNATIONAL FLIGHTS
Newman's new players arrived in Wichita from all over the country during the offseason and even around the world.  After boasting 15 Jets from just three different states a year ago, Newman women's basketball will have a much more diverse list of hometowns on this year's roster.  Six Jets are from the Sunflower State, three are from Texas with Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Michigan, and South Dakota also represented.  For the first time in the Johnson era, the Jets have at least one international player on the roster with players from Lithuania and Spain joining the squad for 2022-23.
 
HEIGH-HO, IT'S OFF TO WORK SHE GOES
Senior forward Britney Ho enters her senior season with a chance to etch her name into the Newman record books.  Her 49.0% field goal percentage was the eighth-best recorded by a Jet in the Division II era a season ago.  The Wichita has an opportunity to finish in the top 10 in career field goal percentage and scoring average this season.  Alexandra Ciabattoni is the all-time leader in season field goal percentage after hitting 59.5% of her shots during her sophomore campaign in 2013-14.
 
BECK AND CALL
Senior shooting guard Carissa Beck made an impressive debut shooting from the outside a season ago.  The former Circle High School Thunderbird shot 36.7% on 3-pointers last season, good for ninth best all-time in Newman's Division II era.  Beck's 50 3-point field goals were tied for seventh-most in program history.  Hitting 50 of her 139 attempts, Beck has already qualified for Newman's career 3-point field goal percentage records and enters the season tied atop the list with Hannah Alexander who also hit 36.7% of her three-balls during her two-year career from 2016-18.  Alexander also owns Newman's season 3-point field goal percentage record after shooting a blistering 41.4% from downtown during her junior season in 2016-17.  The all-time 3-point leader in makes and attempts is Kaitlyn Potter who finished 196-for-539 in her two-year Jet career.  With one more made three, Beck will tie Dede Johnson for 10^th in career 3-point field goals made.
 
OUR NEWEST EXHIBIT
The Jets played an exhibition for the first time since 2020 when Kansas State visited Fugate Gymnasium and narrowly escaped with a 63-59 victory.  That was also the last time the Navy & Red squared off with a foe from NCAA Division I.  Newman's last trip to Bramlage Coliseum was November 7, 2016, as the Wildcats overwhelmed the Jets on the way to a 100-33 exhibition victory.  Bria DeGrate led Newman with nine points.
 
SPAGNOLA'S SWIPES
Graduate transfer Maddie Spagnola proved to be a pest to the Kansas State offense in Newman's preseason exhibition game against the Wildcats in Manhattan.  If it had occurred in a regulation game, Spagnola's six steals against K-State would have tied for seventh in the NU record book for single-game steals and would have been the eighth occurrence of six swipes in program history.  Kesha Buckner currently holds the record with eight thefts against Lubbock Christian back in January 2015.  Five Jets (Tasha Cannon, Buckner, Jazzmen Ortiz, Bria DeGrate, and Amoni White) have recorded seven steals in a game.
 
SHE SPECIALIZES IN DISTRIBUTION
Spagnola notched seven game-high assists in NU's season opening defeat at Wayne State College.  She was one shy of cracking the top 10 on the Newman single-game assists chart.  There have been 12 occurrences of eight assists, which is tied for No. 5 all-time.  Rhea Codio is the record holder with 14 assists set February 24, 2011, at Oklahoma Panhandle State.
 
FIRST IMPRESSION
The Jets are now 8-8 in season openers in the program's Division II history.  The Jets have lost two-straight games to start a season, both to Wayne State in each of the last two campaigns.  The Johnsons are 0-2 in season openers at NU.
 
JOHNSON & JOHNSON
Newman began a new era in 2021 as the Jets welcomed Drew Johnson and Nicole Ohlde-Johnson to Wichita as the new leaders of Jets Women's Basketball.  The Johnsons are in their second season at Newman and enter 2022-23 with a 3-25 record at NU while posting a 1-21 mark in MIAA play.  The husband-and-wife team didn't have to travel far to Wichita, moving from just minutes up the road after spending four seasons at Bethel College where Drew was the head coach and Nicole was his associate head coach.  Drew Johnson compiled a 64-53 record in North Newton, while going 51-41 in Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference play.  Under their leadership, the Johnsons helped Bethel to its first ever 20-win season as the Threshers went 20-10 and hosted their first KCAC Tournament game inside Thresher Gym in 8 years.  In their final year at the helm, the Johnsons led the Threshers to a 16-10 season while going 16-6 in the KCAC, delivering the program's first ever NAIA National Tournament appearance.
 
The Johnsons bring with them a wealth of basketball experience both on and off the court.  Ohlde-Johnson, a Clay Center, Kan. native, played collegiately at Kansas State University where she was a two-time first-team All-American and departed as the school's all-time leading scorer, rebounder, and shot blocker.  Ohlde-Johnson was drafted in the first round of the 2004 WNBA draft and played seven years in the league and helped the Phoenix Mercury win the 2009 WNBA title.  After playing in Europe, Ohlde-Johnson founded the Nicole Ohlde Basketball Academy with Drew serving as a player trainer and coach for the club competing on the AAU circuit.
 
Prior to becoming the Bethel head coach, Drew Johnson previously served on the high school girls basketball coaching staff at Valley Center, Derby, and Clay Center High Schools in Kansas.  Johnson is a Wichita native and Friends University graduate.  Johnson was a two-year captain and four-year starter for the Falcons football program and earned All-KCAC honors as a punter.  As part of Ohlde Basketball Academy and Ohlde Elite, the Johnsons coached players that went on to play at all levels of basketball including the Big 12, Big East, Missouri Valley, MIAA, and KCAC.
 
The Johnsons are facing Oklahoma Christian and Missouri S&T for the first time this week.
 
ELEVATING WITH THE EAGLES AND MINING WITH THE MINERS
Markeith Brown is on the bench for Oklahoma Christian in his first season with the Eagles in Oklahoma City.  Brown takes over following the retirement of OC legend Stephanie Findlay who retired following the 2022-23 season.  Brown had spent the previous seven years at Texas A&M-Commerce helping build the Lions into a perennial top-25 contender, including last year's 27-5 squad that ended its season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.  With Brown's assistance, TAMUC went 143-57 with him on the bench and qualified for March Madness in each of his last four seasons on the bench.  Before joining the Commerce staff, Brown assisted at NCAA Division III LeTourneau (Texas) while also serving as head women's cross country coach.  This is Brown's first head-coaching gig since serving as head boys basketball coach at Vermillion Catholic High School in Abbeville, La., leading them to a Bi-District title.  Brown played collegiately at East Central (Miss.) Community College and transferred to Nicholls State where he led the Colonels in assists during the 2002-03 season.
 
This is Brown's first meeting against the Jets.
 
Kira Carter is in her third season on the bench for the Miners in Rolla, Mo.  Carter coached two players to back-to-back All-GLVC nods in her first two years with S&T.  Carter previously spent two seasons as an assistant at Sam Houston State helping the Bearkats to a 35-23 record and a 25-13 mark inside the Southland Conference.  SHSU's 19-10 overall record and 14-6 mark in Southland play in her last season there set NCAA Division I era records for the program in wins and conference wins.  Carter also assisted the 2017-18 Milwaukee team on its run to the NIT.  Carter is no stranger to Miner basketball, having served as the lone assistant on staff for the 2016-17 campaign.  Carter played collegiately at Oakland University before earning first-team all-conference and all-region awards at Wabash Valley College.  She ended her career at Coastal Carolina before playing professionally in the first division of the Czech Republic League.  Carter's coaching career started at Thomas College before helping her alma mater at Wabash Valley to a 55-12 record over her two seasons including a trip to the NJCAA Division I Tournament Sweet 16 in 2015.
 
Carter has never faced the Jets as a head coach.
 
BRINGING THEIR 'A' GAME

• Junior shooting guard Carissa Beck finished tied for seventh in the league last season making 1.8 3-pointers per game.
• Beck was also one of the most-used players in the league a season ago averaging 32.3 minutes per game, ninth most in the MIAA.

 
NU STATS N' STREAKS

• Newman finished last in the MIAA last year offensively scoring 53.6 ppg.
• The Jets were ninth in the league defensively a year ago surrendering 66.8 ppg.
• The Jets are vying for their first winning season since 2018-19 when head coach Darin Spence led the Navy & Red to a 21-10 record while finishing second in the Heartland Conference.
• NU also seeks its first 10-win season since 2019-20 when NU finished 11-17 while going 6-13 in its first year in the MIAA.
• Newman looks to return to the postseason for the first time since 2019 when NU ended a six-game postseason losing streak with two wins in the Heartland Conference Tournament.  The Jets lost in the championship game to #25 Lubbock Christian.  The top-seeded Lady Chaparrals went on to win the 2019 NCAA Division II National Championship.
• The Jets enter 2022 primed to bust a long losing streak away from home.  NU has dropped 21-straight contests on the road after losing the last nine of the 2020-21 season and going 0-11 away from Wichita last season.  The Jets' last road win came at Washburn in a 56-52 defensive struggle December 5, 2020, at Lee Arena in Topeka, Kan.
• The Jets committed 30 turnovers in their season opener at Wayne State College, the first time the Jets turned it over 25 or more times since committing 31 turnovers against Missouri Western January 20, 2022.

 
COMING ATTRACTIONS
The Newman ladies make their home debut on Tuesday against Central Christian.
 
2022-23 MIAA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Week 1:  Lacy Stokes – Missouri Southern
 
2022 MIAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLLS
Coaches
1.  Missouri Southern (6) – 159 Points
2.  Fort Hays State (3) – 151 Points
3.  Nebraska-Kearney (2) – 144 Points
4.  Missouri Western (3) – 139 Points
5.  Central Missouri – 127 Points
6.  Emporia State – 106 Points
7.  Northwest Missouri – 100 Points
8.  Pittsburg State – 85 Points
9.  Central Oklahoma – 74 Points
10.  Washburn – 62 Points
11.  Rogers State – 50 Points
12.  Northeastern State – 31 Points
13.  Newman – 28 Points
14.  Lincoln – 18 Points
 
Media
1.  Missouri Southern (13) – 249 Points
2.  Fort Hays State (4) – 234 Points
3.  Central Missouri (3) – 218 Points
4.  Nebraska-Kearney – 216 Points
5.  Missouri Western – 211 Points
6.  Northwest Missouri – 164 Points
7.  Emporia State – 145 Points
8.  Pittsburg State – 129 Points
9.  Central Oklahoma – 127 Points
10.  Washburn – 108 Points
11.  Rogers State – 74 Points
12.  Northeastern State – 57 Points
T13.  Newman – 31 Points
T13.  Lincoln – 31 Points