Games 7 & 8:
Newman (4-2, 0-0 MIAA) @ Lincoln (3-1, 0-1 MIAA)
Thursday, December 1, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. | Jefferson City, Mo. (Jason Gym)
Audio:  Newman Jets Audio Network (Play-by-Play:  Blake Cripps) | Video:  MIAA Network | Live Stats:  LU Athletics
 
@ Central Missouri (4-2, 0-0 MIAA)
Saturday, December 3, 2022 | 3:00 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Multipurpose Building)
Audio:  Newman Jets Audio Network (Play-by-Play:  Blake Cripps) | Video:  MIAA Network | Live Stats:  UCM Athletics
 
LAST TUNE UP
The Jets begin their fourth conference schedule in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association this week.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Stevie Strong hit a baseline runner as time expired to give the Jets an 86-85 victory over York University Nov. 26.  An 8-0 YU run put the Panthers on top 8-4 before the Jets answered by hitting six of seven field goals to take a 23-16 lead midway through the first.  York connected on three of their last four 3-pointers to end the half down 40-35.  The Jets slowly built a nine-point lead in the second half before YU took their first lead since the opening moments with an 13-2 run that gave the Panthers a 64-60 lead with less than nine minutes to go.  NU immediately answered back with a 10-2 run to reclaim a 70-66 advantage with just over six minutes to play.  York scored to go up one with five seconds to play when Coach R. J. Allen called timeout to diagram NU's last shot.  Stevie Strong took the inbounds pass and tossed ahead to Triston Turner and got it back on a give-and-go to hit the game-winner as time expired.  Latik Murphy led the Jets with a career-high 29 points.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Lincoln is 3-0 to begin the season with three wins against NAIA-level or lower competition.  The Blue Tigers also have an exhibition victory at UMKC on their resume after beating the Roos 59-56 on November 7, 2022.  The game counted for UMKC, but LU is treating the game as an exhibition.  With one more win, the Blue Tigers can match their win total from all of last season after a disappointing 4-23 effort in 2022-23.  The Blue Tigers finished at the bottom of the MIAA standings with a 3-19 record in conference play a year ago.  The Blue Tigers had posted winning records in five of their previous six seasons until last year.  John Moseley turned the program around before departing after the 2020-21 season to become the school's president.  Moseley inherited a program that had suffered 11-straight losing seasons and brought it back to respectability.  Under his direction the Blue Tigers finished with a winning record in five of his seven seasons including leading LU to four-straight winning seasons for the first time since Don Corbett, Lincoln's career coaching leader in winning percentage (.729) accomplished the feat with the Tigers in the 1970's.  Lincoln hasn't won a conference title since taking the Heartland Conference crown in 2002.  Lincoln hasn't won an MIAA championship since 1981.  Lincoln is seeking its 13^th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 1981.
 
Kevin Kone is averaging a double-double for the Blue Tigers with 17.0 ppg and 12.7 rpg entering this week.  Artese Stapleton is the Blue Tigers' leading scorer at 18.3 ppg and is one of four Lincoln players averaging over 10 ppg.  The Blue Tigers suffered their first defeat of the season on Monday 66-54 at Pittsburg State.
 
Central Missouri has started the year 4-2 and is looking for their first win over an NCAA program this season against Central Oklahoma on Thursday.  UCM has beaten three NAIA teams and one team from the NCCAA.  Last year, the Mules finished 13-14 with a 10-12 record in the MIAA to clinch the program's fourth losing season in a row.  UCM last finished with a winning record after going 20-10 in 2017-18.  Central Missouri's 11-8 MIAA record that season is also the last time the Mules finished with a winning mark inside 'The Association.'  The Mules' consecutive seasons below .500 are the first for the program since the last season of the Norm Short era in 1971-72 and the entire three-season tenure of Jim Kampen who took over the next year.  The program record for consecutive losing seasons is six in a row set from 1954-60.  UCM returned to the postseason for the first time in three years with a first-round loss to Northeastern State in the MIAA Tournament.  Central Missouri has won an incredible 38 games in the NCAA Tournament and claims four national titles (1937 and 1938 NAIA, 1984 and 2014 NCAA).  The Mules are seeking their 24^th NCAA Tournament bid in 2023 which would be the Mules' first berth in the Big Dance since 2015.
 
The Mules enter this week on a four-game winning streak after destroying Central Christian College (Mo.) 112-35 Nov. 26.  Kobe Campbell leads three UCM scorers averaging over double figures with 15.0 ppg while Ben Fritz paces the Mules on the glass with 6.5 rpg.
 
THE SERIES
Newman leads the series 9-4 and snapped a four-game winning streak by the Blue Tigers in the series by beating LU in the teams' last meeting.  NU is 8-0 against the Blue Tigers in nonconference play, but Lincoln leads in MIAA action 4-1.  The Jets are 4-2 in Jefferson City.
 
Central Missouri is 3-1 against the Jets all-time with the Mules holding a 2-1 edge in MIAA games.  UCM won the teams' first meeting in nonconference action at the Emporia State Thanksgiving Classic November 25, 2017.  The Jets are 0-1 in Warrensburg.
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUP
The Jets led by as many as 34 and held off a Lincoln comeback to win Homecoming 89-76 over the Blue Tigers February 24, 2022.  NU blistered the Tigers by shooting 60.6% from the field in the first half and 57.9% for the game including a sweltering 9-for-17 performance from bonus distance.  The Jets outscored Lincoln 25-2 in points off turnovers while forcing 17 LU giveaways.  The Blue Tigers chopped the lead all the way down to 11 with just over a minute to go but couldn't get any closer.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
Leading by two with 12 minutes to go in the first half, the Jets allowed the Mules to stomp their way to a 37-12 run to end the half on the way to an 86-49 victory over NU February 9, 2022, at the Multipurpose Building in Warrensburg.  The Jets were never closer than 21 points in the second half.  Deandre Johnson, David Javorsky, and Jorge Oliva all paced the Jets with 7 points apiece.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
MURHPY'S LAW
Latik Murphy was a force offensively for the Jets last week.  Murphy scored 50 points in the Jets' two victories last week and shot 18-for-30 from the field including 8-for-18 shooting outside the arc.  Murphy raised his scoring average from 8.3 ppg to 13.8 ppg and set new career-highs in back-to-back games.  Murphy has now scored in double-figures in four of his six games as a Jet.  Both of last week's performances saw Murphy coming off the bench to help the Jets dominate bench scoring against Tabor and York.
 
ASSERTING THEIR AUTHORITY
Since becoming an NCAA Division II program in the 2007-08 season, the Jets are a perfect 37-0 against NAIA-level competition.  Overall, the Jets have won 38-straight games against NAIA-level schools dating back to their last season as a member of the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2006-07.  The Jets last fell to an NAIA school in their penultimate game in the MCAC, a 73-64 defeat to Bellevue in Wichita February 16, 2007.  Newman's previous win over an NAIA-level or lower squad came in an 86-85 thriller over York University November 26, 2022.
 
IT WAS PERFECT… PERFECT, EVERYTHING DOWN TO THE LAST, MINUTE DETAILS
Ian Lee nearly achieved a rare perfect night from the field against Sterling College.  The Toronto, Canada junior hit all eight of his field goals while going 4-for-4 from outside the arc.  One missed free throw after a hard foul was the only blemish on the night for the Canadian.  Lee now owns the Newman record for single-game field goals made without missing.  He passes a trio of Jets who had all finished the game 7-for-7 from the field:  Shamar Acuay, Juwan Davenport, and Joel Boyce.  Boyce was the last to accomplish the feat with a 7-for-7 performance at Pittsburg State February 27, 2021.
 
THE 40-POINT CLUB
Sophomore guard Stevie Strong became just the third NU player to score at least 40 points in a game when he dropped 40 on Concordia-St. Paul in the Jets' season opener.  It is the first time a Jet has scored at least 40 points since Taylor Schieber set the single-game scoring record with 45 against Texas A&M International February 25, 2017, in then head coach Mark Potter's final home game at Fugate Gymnasium.  The 40 points by Strong are the most ever scored by a Newman player in a season opener and tied for second-most all-time. 
 
SINGLE-GAME SCORING
Rk            Player                      Points      Opponent                Date       
1.             Taylor Schieber       45            TAMIU                     2/25/17
2.             Ryan Bradley           40            TAMIU                     2/16/08
                Stevie Strong          40            Concordia-St. Paul  11/11/22
4.             Reggie Baker           36            at UAFS                   1/22/15  
5.             Reggie Baker           34            St. Mary's                1/31/15
6.             Keaton Schultz        32            at OPSU                   1/23/10
                Taylor Schieber       32            at Rogers State       1/2/17
                Daniel Nwosu Jr.     32            at St. Mary's            1/21/17
                Ben Ayre                 32            at Dallas Baptist      3/2/19
10.           Cortrael Colbert      31            at OPSU                   2/5/15    
                Gavin Thurman       31            TAMIU                     1/2/16
 
In addition, his 11 field goals tied for 10^th most in Division II history and are the 16^th time a Jet has nailed that many shots in a single game.  Strong hit 13 of his 14 free throws in the game, which tied him with Jarvis Jackson and Ben Ayre for fourth on the single-game free throws made list.  The 14 attempted free throws are tied for 10^th most and are the ninth occurrence of that feat.
 
A STRONG START
Stevie Strong's start to his Newman career landed him in the NU record book last season.  Strong's 288 points in just 21 games set the season scoring record for a Newman freshman.  Not only that, but Strong also set the single-game freshman scoring record by pouring in 29 points in a game against Northeastern State last season.  Strong also set the record for season free throw percentage by hitting 89.5% of his charity shots.  Strong's 29 consecutive makes at the line to open a season were also best all-time by a Jet. 
 
'LEE'SING AGREEMENT
Ian Lee has developed into one of the MIAA's premier distributors in the conference over his first two seasons with the Jets.  Through just 49 games, Lee has cracked the Top 10 in career assists for the Jets with 129.  He's currently tied with Jarvis Jackson for sixth in career assists per game with 2.6 apg.  Lee's 83 assists last year also tied him with Jackson for ninth on the season assists list.  His 3.1 apg in 2021-22 also landed him in a tie for 10^th on the season assists per game rankings tied with Kyle Smith, Jarvis Jackson, and Jalen Love.
 
STAYING BUSY
Newman men's basketball played multiple exhibitions this season against NCAA Division I foes for the first time since 2010.  After playing the Shockers to tip off the preseason, Newman headed to Springfield, Missouri to face the Missouri State Bears from the Missouri Valley Conference.  In 2010-11, the Jets played exhibitions at Kansas State and Wichita State before tipping off the season.
 
CAPTAIN OF THE FLEET
R. J. Allen begins his sixth season as the head coach of the Jets in 2021.  It will be his 12th season with the program.  Allen has compiled a record of 53-81 over his first five years in Wichita with a 10-55 record in MIAA play.  Allen has coached a player to the All-MIAA team each of his first three years in the league.  Israel Barnes received All-MIAA Honorable Mention recognition last season, Joel Boyce was named All-MIAA Honorable Mention in 2021, while Marshawn Blackmon earned Third Team recognition in 2020.  During the Jets' last year in the Heartland Conference, Allen led NU to a 20-9 overall record while finishing third in the Heartland Conference at 11-5.  The 20 wins tied the NU record for victories in their NCAA Division II era.  NU also finished the season in the Top 10 of the South Central Regional Rankings.  Allen was named the 2018 Heartland Conference Coach of the Year in his first season at the helm at Newman after guiding the Jets on a dramatic turnaround in the second half of the season that saw NU finish 14-14 overall and third in the conference with a 10-6 record.
 
Allen arrived in Wichita in 2011 and spent six seasons as an assistant and eventually associate head coach under Mark Potter, NU's all-time winningest coach.  The Jets won 88 games over those 6 years and made four trips to the Heartland Conference Tournament and the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance after going 20-8 in 2012-13.  He was also on the bench when the Jets knocked off No. 2 seed Lubbock Christian in the first round of the 2016 Heartland Conference Tournament to earn its first ever postseason victory as an NCAA program.
 
Allen is no stranger to the Air Capital after growing up in Wichita and playing his prep years for his dad, Ron, at Wichita East High School.  Allen was a two time All-City and All-State selection and helped lead the Blue Aces to the 2002 6A state championship.  Following high school, Allen stayed local playing two years at Hutchinson Community College.  The Blue Dragons dominated during Allen's career going 57-9 over the two-year span with a 41-1 record in Jayhawk Conference play and winning the conference title in 2004.
 
Allen is 1-4 against Lincoln and 1-3 against the Mules.
 
TRAINING THE TIGERS AND MOSEYING WITH THE MULES
Jimmy Drew is in his first year in Missouri's capital as Blue Tiger head coach.  He previously served as the director of basketball operations at Central Florida over the past six seasons.  He aided the Knights to two 20-win seasons, one berth in the NCAA Tournament and a Final Four appearance in the NIT.  Drew replaces interim coach Ed Wilson who coached last season for the Blue Tigers after serving seven years as lead assistant coach under John Moseley.  Moseley coached seven players to the All-American Athletic Conference team while in Orlando.  Before rejoining NCAA Division I, Drew was head coach of Victory Rock Prep in 2014-15.  The year before, Drew assisted at Kentucky Wesleyan.  Drew played collegiately at Southeast Missouri State before transferring to DePaul.  He later served as a graduate assistant for the Blue Demons.
 
This is Drew's first head coaching job at the collegiate level and his first meeting with the Navy & Red.
 
Doug Karleskint is in his ninth season leading Mules basketball and entered the year with a 124-102 record on the bench for the Mules with a 75-86 MIAA record.  Karleskint began the year with a 213-136 record in 12 seasons with a 129-101 record in conference games.  He came to Warrensburg following four successful seasons at Arkansas Tech where he led the Wonder Boys to four Great American Conference titles and an 89-34 record while going 54-15 in GAC action.  Karleskint piloted all four Arkansas Tech teams and his first UCM team to the NCAA Tournament but hasn't made it back to the Big Dance since.  In his first eight years of coaching, Karleskint amassed an impressive six 20-win years.  However, since a 14-14 campaign in 2018-19 that saw the Mules dip to 7-12 in the MIAA, UCM is just 30-47 over the previous three seasons with a 22-41 record inside 'The Association.'  His 25-7 Mule team in 2014-15 that went 14-5 in the MIAA set a program record for most wins under the direction of a first-year coach in program history and is still the highest win total in both categories during his Central Missouri tenure. 
 
Karleskint was an assistant for one year at Arkansas Tech before assuming the head coaching role and also served two seasons as an assistant coach at NCAA Division I Stephen F. Austin.  In those two seasons, the Lumberjacks tallied an impressive 50-14 record with two Southland Conference regular season titles, a 2008 NIT appearance and a 2009 berth in the Big Dance after winning the 2009 Southland Conference Tournament.  This isn't his first time inside the MIAA after serving as a graduate assistant at Northwest Missouri between 2005-07.  The Fort Scott, Kan., native graduated from Mid-America Nazarene in 2003.
 
Karleskint is 3-1 against the Jets.
 
SCOUTING THE SQUADRON
The Jets went 6-21 in 2021-22 with a 3-19 record inside the MIAA.  Newman returns four players from last year's squad including second-leading scorer Stevie Strong, who averaged 13.7 ppg.  Strong was also second on the team in steals with 22 and led the Jets in 3-pointers shooting 44-for-138 from outside (31.9%).  Strong also paced the Jets from the foul line with 68 free throws on the way to shooting an impressive 89.5%.  Junior Ian Lee started 23 of 27 games for the Jets last season and dazzled offensively with 83 assists against just 43 turnovers.  Lee was also Newman's third-leading scorer at 9.6 ppg.
 
The Jets will be junior and graduate led this season with no seniors on the roster.  The Jets start the season with seven freshmen on the roster.  The Navy & Red will feature eight transfers this season: five from the junior college level and four from NCAA Division I.  Newman's roster features two graduate students, six juniors, and four sophomores.
 
LEADING 'THE ASSOCIATION'

• Former Campus Colt Stevie Strong leads the MIAA in scoring at 21.0 ppg.
• Strong currently sits ninth in three-point field goal percentage at 31.7%.
• Strong is tied for seventh hitting 2.6 3-pointers per game.
• Strong is ninth in the league in free throw percentage at 83.3%.

 
NU STATS 'N STREAKS

• Stevie Strong has scored in double figures in seven-consecutive games dating back to last season.  Strong's streak of six-straight games with a 3-pointer was snapped against York University.
• Latik Murphy has scored in double figures in back-to-back games for Newman.
• Isaac Aguiar nabbed a career-high six rebounds in NU's win over York last time out.
• Junior forward Triston Turner snatched a career-high eight rebounds in the Jet win over Tabor last week.  He grabbed 14 rebounds in NU's two games last week.
• Junior guard Ian Lee dished out a season-high five assists with no turnovers against York.
• Strong set a new season-high with three steals against York University.
• Murphy's five 3-pointers against York were a new career-high.  He's now connected from downtown in four-straight games.
• The Navy & Red finished last in the MIAA last year in offense scoring 65.7 ppg.
• NU ended the season 12^th defensively allowing 75.1 ppg.
• The Jets are looking for their first winning season since 2018-19 when Newman finished 20-9 while tying for third in the Heartland Conference.  NU also seeks its first 10-win season since that same campaign.  2018-19 was also the last season NU participated in the postseason, losing in the first round of the final Heartland Conference Tournament to Rogers State.

 
AND THEN…
The Newman men return home to host Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern in their home conference openers next week.
 
2022-23 MIAA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Week 1:  Bennett Stirtz – Northwest Missouri
Week 2:  Alijah Comithier – Emporia State
Week 3:  Will Eames – Missouri Western
 
2022 MIAA MEN'S BASKETBALL PRESEASON POLLS
Coaches
1.  Northwest Missouri (11) – 167 Points
2.  Central Oklahoma (3) – 158 Points
3.  Fort Hays State – 137 Points
4.  Washburn – 131 Points
5.  Emporia State – 125 Points
6.  Northeastern State – 100 Points
7.  Missouri Western – 93 Points
8.  Missouri Southern – 85 Points
9.  Central Missouri – 73 Points
T-10.  Pittsburg State – 63 Points
T-10.  Rogers State – 63 Points
12.  Nebraska-Kearney – 36 Points
13.  Lincoln – 26 Points
14.  Newman – 17 Points
 
Media
1.  Northwest Missouri (14) – 261 Points
2.  Central Oklahoma (4) – 243 Points
3.  Fort Hays State – 216 Points
4.  Washburn – 209 Points
5.  Emporia State – 181 Points
6.  Missouri Western – 163 Points
7.  Missouri Southern – 146 Points
8.  Northeastern State – 135 Points
9.  Central Missouri – 112 Points
10.  Pittsburg State – 106 Points
11.  Rogers State – 92 Points
12.  Nebraska-Kearney – 67 Points
13.  Newman – 33 Points
14.  Lincoln – 31 Points