SPRINGFIELD, Mo. - Finishing up the pre-season, Newman Men's Basketball took a road trip to match up against Missouri State (MVC) in their final exhibition game for 2022. 

MSU jumped out to a 15-5 lead, prompting a full five man sub from Newman in an attempt to shift the energy shortly after. It'd take more than that change to stop the Bears early though, as they were able to penetrate the Jets defense in the opening half, with 10 of their next 15 points coming from inside the paint.

Newman would find their footing on defense after that run as they outscored MSU 19-11 to take the score to 29-41 at the half. The Jets run was emphasized with a block from Chuka Mekkam that would've given MSU a 23 point lead and a standing dunk from Kwaku Agyapong with three minutes left in the half.

Latik Murphy set the tone coming out of halftime by hitting a three to cut the MSU lead to nine. The Jets would also defend the three better in the second half, holding them to just 27% from behind the line after they shot 7-14 in the first half. Newman would also be able to hold MSU's star player Bryan Trimble Jr. scoreless in the second half, with him scoring his game leading 20 points entirely in the first half. 

The Jets continued to fight until the final buzzer before falling 78-58 against the Bears. Stevie Smith led the team in almost every stat, recording a 16/4/1 stat line with three steals and shooting 66% from three. Latik Murphy also hit double figures in scoring for the second game in a row.

The regular season tips off Friday, November 11th, with Newman facing off against Concordia St. Paul in Clarmore, Oklahoma at the MIAA/Northern Sun Classic.