Games 10 & 11:
Newman (4-5, 1-3 MIAA) @ Nebraska-Kearney (10-2, 3-1 MIAA)
Friday, December 16, 2022 | 5:00 p.m. | Kearney, Neb. (Health & Sports Center)
Audio:  The River 93.1/106.9 KRVN FM (Play-by-Play:  Jayson Jorgensen) | Video:  MIAA Network | Live Stats:  UNK Athletics
 
@ Fort Hays State (8-3, 4-0 MIAA)
Sunday, December 18, 2022 | 2:00 p.m. | Hays, Kan. (Gross Memorial Coliseum)
Audio:  103.3 FM KJLS (Play-by-Play:  Gerard Wellbrock) | Video:  MIAA Network | Live Stats:  FHSU Athletics
 
IT'S HOW YOU FINISH
The Navy & Red wrap up the first semester of play on the road this weekend.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Missouri Southern jumped out to an 8-2 run to begin the game and never looked back as the #4 Lions grounded the Jets 89-42 Dec. 10 at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita.  After trading baskets in the middle of the period, MoSo got rolling again with a 13-0 run late in the first quarter.  The Jets broke the run with a Maddie Spagnola 3-pointer late in the period, but the Lions tacked on the first 12 points of the second quarter on the way to a 34-6 first-half run that spanned approximately 13 minutes of game time.  Maddie Spagnola led the Jets with 14 points, her highest scoring output of the season in MIAA play.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
Earlier last week, the Jets defense faltered in the second half as the Jets fell 81-58 to Pittsburg State.
 
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
The Lopers continued their streak of excellent play last season by finishing 24-8 with a 17-5 record in conference play.  It is UNK's fourth 20-win season in the last five years and the Lopers made their ninth-straight postseason appearance a season ago.  UNK was upended in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament by conference foe Missouri Western.  It was the first consecutive berths to the Big Dance since making the trip to March Madness three-straight times from 2007-09.  UNK has now tallied five winning seasons in a row with four of the five seasons featuring fewer than 10 losses.  The Lopers had previous suffered six losing campaigns in their seven previous seasons before this run to the top of 'The Association.'  UNK claimed its first MIAA Tournament title in 2021 and the program's first conference crown since taking the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference Tournament championship in 2004 under the direction of coach Carol Russell.  Lopers basketball history dates back to 1905, but UNK claims a 'modern era' that begins with the 1968-69 season.  As a program, Nebraska-Kearney is seeking its 21^st national tournament appearance and 16^th NCAA bid in 2023.
 
UNK comes into the week seventh in the league in offense at 70.5 ppg while ranking first defensively surrendering just 50.7 ppg.  Nebraska-Kearney went 1-1 last week with a tight 68-65 loss at Missouri Western before coasting by Northwest Missouri on Saturday.  The loss at the Griffons snapped the Lopers' eight-game winning streak.  Elisa Backes leads the Lopers scoring 11.2 ppg while Klaire Kirsch tops the team grabbing 6.3 rpg.
 
Fort Hays State has been one of the MIAA's most consistent teams over the last decade.  The Tigers finished 30-4 last season with a 19-3 record splitting the MIAA regular season title with Missouri Southern.  The championship was the Tigers third in the last four years and fourth in the last decade.  Last year the Tigers also claimed the program's second-ever MIAA Tournament title and second in the last four seasons.  The Tigers have strung together 11-straight winning seasons and each of those seasons have featured at least 20 FHSU victories including three 30-win seasons.  The 11-straight 20-win seasons are three more than the program had in over 40 prior seasons of women's basketball competition.  The Tigers fell in the Sweet 16 last season when they were upset by conference foe Missouri Western 70-69 in the Central Region championship game in Hays.  The Tigers have made seven of the program's eight trips to the NCAA Tournament over the last eight seasons.  A bid to March Madness in 2023 would be FHSU's ninth overall selection and their sixth Big Dance in a row.
 
Fort Hays State enters the seek ninth offensively scoring 66.7 ppg but is tied for third defensively allowing just 54.2 ppg.  The Tigers are on a 6-game winning streak after going 2-0 last week with wins at Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri.  Katie Wagner is the Tigers' leading scorer at 13.8 ppg and is tied for third in the MIAA in rebounding at 8.4 rpg.
 
FHSU hosts Central Oklahoma on Friday.
 
THE SERIES
UNK leads the series 7-1 and has won four consecutive contests.  The Lopers lead 5-1 in MIAA games.  The Jets are 0-4 in Kearney.
 
Fort Hays State leads the series 21-1 and has won 12 in a row over the Jets.  NU's only win came in 2010 in Wichita.  FHSU leads 13-1 in the NCAA Division II era of the rivalry and 6-0 in MIAA conference games.
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUP
Following another lackluster first quarter, the Jets battled back in the first half but couldn't complete the comeback as #22 Nebraska-Kearney escaped Wichita with a 62-55 victory over the Jets at Fugate Gymnasium February 5, 2022.  The Jets were slow out of the blocks for the second-straight game as UNK built a 20-7 lead after the first 10 minutes.  The Jets soared back into the game in the second quarter outscoring the Top 25 Lopers 19-6 in the second period to tie the game at 26 at the half.  The Jets took their only leads of the game minutes into the third quarter when the Lopers answered with a 7-0 on the way to an eight-point lead late in the frame.  UNK looked like they were going to coast in the fourth leading by 13 with just over five minutes left, but Newman made one final push, clocking the Lopers with a 9-0 run to get within three with less than two minutes to play.  The Jets couldn't get a key stop in the last two minutes and never possessed the ball with a chance to take the lead as UNK closed out the game at the free throw line in the closing moments.  Britney Ho was the only Jet in double figures with 12 points.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
The #6 Tigers outscored the Jets 17-2 in the first quarter on the way to a 36-7 halftime lead and overwhelmed Newman 79-30 February 3, 2022, at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita.  The 49-point loss matched NU's largest-ever margin of defeat and the 30 points scored was the fewest ever by a Newman women's team.  NU shot just 17.6% from the field in the game (9-for-51) and was outscored 27-0 in points off turnovers.  McKenna Anderson led the Jets off the bench with seven points.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
REWRITING THE RECORD BOOK
The Newman women did significant damage to the Newman Jets women's basketball record book (NCAA Division II era) in their victory over Manhattan Christian.  115 points set a new record for scoring in a game eclipsing the 111 points the Jets put up against Oklahoma Panhandle February 24, 2011.  The 91-point margin of annihilated the Jet record of a 69-point win over Central Christian (Mo.) 87-18 on November 14, 2016.  The Jets racked up 36 assists, surpassing their 31 assists against both Oklahoma Panhandle (February 23, 2012) and Kansas Christian (December 13, 2016).  The Jets forced 36 Thunder turnovers, one more than their previous record of 35 forced against Texas A&M International January 19, 2019, in Wichita.  The Jets used 25 steals to force those turnovers, surpassing the program's previous high of 21 pilfers against New Mexico Highlands November 10, 2017.
 
CARISSA KNOWS IT ALL
Carissa Beck continues to move up Newman's career 3-point field goals list.  Last week, Beck passed Rhea Codio's 71 treys made in just one season in 2010-11.  Codio's 71 3-pointers are also fourth on the NU single-season list.  Beck needs eight three-balls to tie the 82 hit by Braxtyn Stewart.  Stewart accomplished the feat in 106 career games from 2017-21.
 
CAREER 3PT FIELD GOALS MADE
Rk.           Player                                      3PTM      Games    Years      
1.             Kaitlyn Potter                          196          59            2018-20
2.             Brianna Caldwell                     150          78            2012-16
3.             Bria DeGrate                           143          113          2015-19
4.             Haley Albers                            124          110          2017-21
5.             Rainey Nickel                          113          80            2007-10
Cheniqwa Banks                      113          54            2012-14
7.             Hadley Freeman                     95            79            2007-10
8.             Braxtyn Stewart                      82            106          2017-21
9.             Carissa Beck                           74            37            2021-23
10.           Rhea Codio                              71            27            2010-11
 
 
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.
 
I HATE THE 80'S
The Jets have allowed three-straight opponents to score in the 80's in NU's three-game losing streak.  Two of the Jets last three foes have shot better than 50% from the field and all three have shot at least 39% from the 3-point line while connecting on at least nine threes.
 
EW… GROSS…
The Jets are 0-11 at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays, Kan., since joining the ranks of NCAA Division II.  Eight of the losses have come at the hands of Fort Hays State in true road contests, five of which occurred as nonconference matchups before the Jets joined the MIAA for the 2019-20 season.  The Jets are 0-3 in the building against the Tigers in MIAA competition.
 
REGIONAL PREVIEW
Both of Newman's opponents this week are well positioned for a postseason run.  Nebraska Kearney is ranked #5 in the latest D2SIDA Media Central Regional Poll this week with Fort Hays State checking in at seventh.  Missouri Southern is ranked atop the Central Region with all six first place votes while Central Missouri is third.  The NCAA releases its regional rankings beginning in February.
 
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 0-2 against both UNK and FHSU.
 
TRAINING THE TIGERS & LEADING THE LOPERS
Carrie Eighmey is in her eighth season as Nebraska-Kearney's head women's basketball coach.  Eighmey entered the season 205-100 overall with a 137-69 record in Kearney.  Eighmey has led the Lopers to the MIAA Tournament in each of her first seven seasons on the bench and has led the Lopers to two NCAA Tournaments and one MIAA Tournament title.  Eighmey entered the season 91-52 in MIAA play.  The last three seasons have been her best in Kearney with a combined 72-17 record.  In ten years of head coaching, Eighmey has finished with a losing record just twice.  Eighmey previously was the head coach at Hastings College (Neb.) under her maiden name of Hofstetter.  She assisted under her mentor and current Fort Hays State coach Tony Hobson before replacing him in 2012.  There, after a 15-16 season in 2012-13, she led the Broncos to two NAIA Tournaments with an impressive 45-15 record over her last two seasons with two trips to the Elite Eight and a Final Four appearance in 2015.  Eighmey is a native of Sandy Creek, Neb., where she starred for the Cougars and was part of four straight NSAA Class C-2 titles and played during a 95-game winning streak for the powerhouse high school program.  As a player at Hastings, she set school records for assists and steals playing in the Great Plains Athletic Conference, one of the strongest leagues in the NAIA. 
 
Eighmey has a 6-1 career mark against the Jets.
 
Tony Hobson is in his 15^th season at Fort Hays State and is the winningest coach in FHSU history.  In 31 years as a head coach, Hobson started the year with a 725-215 record with a 193-87 mark against MIAA competition.  With the Tigers, Hobson is 312-109 and picked up his 300^th win at Fort Hays State in the Tigers win over NU in the teams' last meeting.  Following a 39-43 record over his first three years with the Tigers from 2008-11, Hobson has guided FHSU to 11 straight 20-win seasons, four MIAA Titles, two MIAA Tournament championships, seven NCAA Tournament appearances with three trips to the Sweet 16.  Hobson came to Hays after seven incredible years at Hastings where he went 211-40 while winning three Greater Plains Athletic Conference championships and three NAIA national titles.  Hobson also has extensive experience coaching at the junior college level after spending three years at Barton County Community College and six seasons at Cloud County Community College.  In his last year at Barton, Hobson's Cougars finished an impressive 34-4 and won their second straight Jayhawk Conference title and a Region VI championship while finishing fifth in the NJCAA Tournament.  Hobson has been named conference coach of the year seven times including four awards in the MIAA.
 
Hobson is 13-1 in his career against the Jets.
 
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.
 
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.
 
BRINGING THEIR 'A' GAME

• Senior Britney Ho is currently third in the MIAA in scoring at 18.1 ppg.
• Ho's 51.5% shooting from the field is eighth in 'The Association.'
• Senior Carissa Beck leads the MIAA in 3-point field goal percentage at 50.0%.
• Beck is second in the conference with 2.6 3-point field goals per game.
• Graduate Maddie Spagnola is fifth in the MIAA in assists averaging 4.2 apg.

 
NU STATS N' STREAKS

• Ho's streak of double-digit scoring that started last season was snapped at 14 in Newman's loss to Missouri Southern.  Ho last missed scoring at least 10 points in a game in NU's loss to Fort Hays State February 3, 2022, when she scored just four points on 2 of 3 shooting.
• Spagnola's three 3-pointers against Missouri Southern matched her career high.  She's hit a set of threes nine times in her career.
• Freshman Amaya Perez swiped a career-high three steals against the #4 Lions last week.  In the same game, she grabbed a personal best seven rebounds.
• Newman is sixth in the league offensively scoring 71.3 ppg.
• NU is 12^th in the MIAA defensively allowing 70.9 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 have now dropped ten in a row against teams in the Top 25.  The Jets' last win against a ranked team came on February 27, 2020, when the Jets prevailed 66-65 over #24 Nebraska-Kearney.  The Jets are 0-2 against the Top 25 this season.

 
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Newman returns to action in a New Year's Eve showdown with Emporia State in Wichita.
 
2022-23 MIAA PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Week 1:  Lacy Stokes – Missouri Southern
Week 2:  Alayzha Knapp – Central Oklahoma
Week 3:  Connie Clarke – Missouri Western
Week 4:  Katie Wagner – Fort Hays State
Week 5:  Lacy Stokes (2) – Missouri Southern (2)
 
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