Games 9 & 10:
Newman (4-4, 0-2 MIAA) vs. Pittsburg State (3-5, 1-2 MIAA)
Wednesday, December 7, 2022 | 7:30 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Fugate Gymnasium)
Audio:  Newman Jets Audio Network (Play-by-Play:  Blake Cripps) | Video:  MIAA Network | Live Stats:  NU Athletics
 
vs. Missouri Southern (4-4, 0-2 MIAA)
Saturday, December 10, 2022 | 3:30 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Fugate Gymnasium)
Audio:  Newman Jets Audio Network (Play-by-Play:  Blake Cripps) | Video:  MIAA Network | Live Stats:  NU Athletics
 
TIME TO GET EVEN
Newman plays its first MIAA home games of the year this week with a chance to get its conference record back to .500 for the season.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Central Missouri profited off 22 Jet turnovers by outscoring NU 21-8 in points off turnovers on the way to a 69-53 victory December 3, 2022, at the Multipurpose Building in Warrensburg, Mo.  The Jets jumped out to a 7-2 lead to start the game, but the Mules kicked into gear with a 13-4 run to lead 15-11 midway through the first.  The layup grew as big as nine, but the Jets trimmed the deficit to 31-25 at the half on a Stevie Strong layup seconds before the buzzer.  UCM took control of the game with a 15-1 run early in the second half to lead 53-30 with just over 11 minutes to go.  The Jets made a final push with an 8-0 run to trim the deficit to 13 with just under six minutes to play but could get no closer.  Latik Murphy led the Jets with 23 points.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
The Jets fell by one point earlier last week at Lincoln.
 
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Pittsburg State enters their match with Newman on a two-game losing streak.  The Gorillas finished 8-20 last season with a 7-15 MIAA record.  Pitt State has finished three-straight seasons with a losing record.  It's the most consecutive seasons below .500 for the program since finishing with losing records in five straight years from 1986-91.  Pitt State's last winning record was in 2018-19 in the second year of the Kim Anderson era when the Gorillas finished 17-13 for the second-consecutive season.  PSU hasn't finished with a winning conference mark in the last seven seasons.  The Gorilla's last winning MIAA mark came under head coach Kevin Muff in 2014-15.  That team finished 20-12 with a 12-7 MIAA record and won the MIAA Tournament.  Pittsburg State is seeking its first trip to the NCAA Tournament since then this spring; it would be the Gorillas' seventh NCAA bid.
 
Pitt State starts Week 5 last in the league in scoring at 65.4 ppg and ninth defensively allowing 68.3 ppg.
Deshaun English II is a consistent double-double threat for the Gorillas and leads the team with 13.7 ppg and 12.7 rpg.
 
Missouri Southern also dropped both of their games last week and regressed in win totals for the second-straight season a year ago finishing 14-15, 11-11 in the MIAA.  2021-22 snapped a streak of eight-straight winning seasons for the Lions.  MoSo last finished under .500 in 2012-13 when the Lions struggled to a 13-15 record overall with a 7-11 mark inside 'The Association.'  Prior to a 13-10 record in 2020-21, the Lions had won at least 20 games in seven of the prior 10 campaigns with only two losing seasons in that stretch.  The Lions have made 23-straight appearances in the MIAA Tournament and haven't missed the postseason since 1998.  MoSo is seeking its ninth NCAA Tournament in 2023 and first since earning a ticket to the cancelled 2020 event.
 
MSSU is 11^th in the league in offense at 72.3 ppg and tied for 10^th defensively giving up 68.5 ppg.  Avery Taggart is the Lions' leading scorer at 12.0 ppg.  Ndongo Ndaw comes off the bench to lead the Lions on the glass averaging 7.5 boards per game.
 
The Lions visit Central Oklahoma on Thursday.
 
THE SERIES
The Gorillas lead the 19-14 with a 9-6 edge in NU's NCAA Division II era.  The Jets have won two of the last three in the series, but the Gorillas had taken four of the previous five meetings.  Newman leads 9-4 in Wichita while Pitt State leads 3-2 in MIAA games.
 
Missouri Southern leads 6-2 with a 4-1 advantage in NU's NCAA Division II era.  The Lions have won four in a row in the series.  NU's last win came in overtime December 17, 2007.  The Jets are 2-1 in Wichita against the Lions, but the Lions have won all three meetings as MIAA foes.
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUP
Newman built a nine-point halftime lead and held off Pittsburg State for a 73-63 Senior Day win February 26, 2022, at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita.  The teams traded the lead through the first 10 minutes before NU hit Pitt State with a 13-0 run ending with just over five minutes to play in the period to take a 32-20 lead.  The Navy & Red kept the Gorillas at arm's length to take a 36-27 lead into the locker room at the break.  After briefly building the lead back to double figures in the second half, the Gorillas got back into the game with a 13-0 run of their own to take a 44-42 advantage with just over ten minutes to go.  The lead swelled to 50-44 at the 8:35 mark in the game as the run swelled a 19-2 spurt for Pittsburg State.  Trailing by six with 7:37 to play, the Jets made their move with a 12-2 run to take a 58-54 lead at the 5:00 mark and force a Gorilla timeout.  The Newman defense took over after that holding Pitt State to just one field goal in the last five minutes.  Four Jets scored in double figures led by freshman Stevie Strong's 26 points.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
In a game in which neither team led by more than seven points for 39 minutes of the game, Missouri Southern did just enough down the stretch to stymie the Jets 74-70 December 4, 2021, at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center in Joplin, Mo.  The 3-point line was huge for the Lions who connected on 11 of 21 tries from outside while the Jets shot just 5-for-19.  The Jets stayed in the game by outscoring MoSo 19-9 on second chance points and 15-7 in points off turnovers.  The Lions briefly went in front by 11 just moments into the second half, but the Jets quickly trimmed the lead down and used a 12-0 run to take a 57-52 lead with just over nine and half minutes to go.  The Lions overcame a six-point deficit with just over six minutes to play with a 14-2 run to end the game.  Stevie Strong led the Navy & Red with 22 points.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
LET'S GO PAINTING
The Jets will try to do a better job of protecting the painted area in the lane this week.  The Jets were outscored 30-18 in the paint by Lincoln and 44-22 by Central Missouri in their two games last week.  The Jets are 4-0 this year when they outscore their opponents in the paint and 0-4 when they don't.
 
'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.  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.  With 13 assists this season, Lee is currently eighth on the all-time list after passing Jarvis Jackson and Ryan McCarthy.
 
CAREER ASSISTS
Rk.            Player                                           Ast            Games     Years       
1.               Ben Ayre                                      240           56              2017-19
2.               Eric Saunders                              208           54              2010-12
3.               Cortrael Colbert                         204           56              2014-16
4.               Tyjil Hereford                             171           98              2017-21
5.               Jake Darby                                  169           48              2008-10
6.               Bobby Wesley                            160           47              2010-13
7.               Kevin Bryant                               150           82              2015-18
8.               Ian Lee                                         142           57              2020-23
9.               Jarvis Jackson                             139           54              2007-09
10.             Ryan McCarthy                          135           113           2011-15
 
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. 
 
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 2-4 vs. Pitt State and 0-3 against the Lions.
 
LEADING THE TROOP AND PREPARING THE PRIDE
After eight seasons in Joplin, Mo. as head coach of the Lions and four years as an assistant, Jeff Boschee has moved to Pittsburg, Kan. to begin a new era at Pittsburg State.  He takes over after Kim Anderson retired from coaching following five seasons at Pitt State.  Boschee's tenure with MSSU began with the 2014-15 season and he collected a record of 151-86 with the Lions.  He was the fastest coach to reach 100 wins in Missouri Southern history.  Boschee's teams have never missed the MIAA Tournament either as an assistant or as head coach.  He is the only coach to take three consecutive Lions teams to the NCAA Tournament and was named the 2018 MIAA Coach of the Year.  Boschee came to Joplin, Mo., following 3 seasons at the Barstow School in Kansas City.  As a player, Boschee enjoyed an illustrious career at the University of Kansas where he collected Big 12 Freshman of the Year honors in 2000.  He was a Third Team All-Big 12 selection as a senior and played a big role on the Jayhawks' run to the Final Four in 2002.  Boschee departed as the Big 12 career leader in 3-pointers made and still holds the KU record in that category and was second all-time in games started for the Crimson & Blue.
 
Boschee is 3-0 in his career against the Jets, all at Missouri Southern.
 
Sam McMahon became the seventh head coach in Missouri Southern history when he replaced Jeff Boschee in April of 2022.  McMahon rejoined the Lions after spending the two previous years at NCAA Division I program Southeast Missouri.  McMahon previously coached at Southern for six seasons as an assistant and associate head coach to Boschee.  The Lions entered the year with a 124-60 record with McMahon on the bench.  The run was highlighted by three trips to the NCAA Tournament and a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2019.  Prior to joining the MoSo program in Joplin, McMahon coached four years at Missouri State.  His first coaching stop was at Central Methodist.  There, he aided CMU to a Heart of America Conference regular season title and two trips to the NAIA Tournament.  A Missouri native, McMahon prepped at Jefferson City High School before playing one year at Bridgton Academy (Maine).  He was a four-year letterman at Delaware from 2004-08 and was among the Colonial Athletic Association leaders in free throw percentage and 3-point field goal percentage.  This is McMahon's first head coaching job.
 
McMahon is facing the Jets for the first time.
 
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 is fifth in the MIAA in scoring at 18.6 ppg.
• Latik Murphy is 10^th in the conference in offense at 14.5 ppg.
• Strong is eighth in the league in 3-pointers per game nailing 2.4 per contest.
• Khaleem Bennett is tied for eighth in 'The Association' with 1.0 bpg.

 
NU STATS 'N STREAKS

• Stevie Strong has scored in double figures in nine-consecutive games dating back to last season. 
• Latik Murphy has scored in double figures in four straight, and has topped 20 points in three of his last five.
• Murphy's five 3-pointers at Central Missouri tied his career high set against York earlier this season.
• Khaleem Bennett's three blocks against Lincoln were a new personal best.
• Bennett matched his career high of nine rebounds in NU's loss to the Mules last week.
• Sam Somerhalder set a new career best with eight boards at Lincoln.
• The Navy & Red is 12^th offensively in the MIAA at 71.1 ppg.
• The Jets are ranked 13^th defensively allowing 71.4 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.
• Lincoln's Kevin Kone broke the single-game rebounds by an NU opponent record when he snagged 22 against the Jets last week.  The previous game-high was 20 by Ridge McKeither of Angelo State, Antjuan Ball of West Texas A&M, and last accomplished by Emeka Obukwelu of Northeastern State January 8, 2022.  Kone registered five blocks in the same game, the first opponent to do that against Newman since Christian Bundy had five blocks at Missouri Western December 4, 2021.  His 14 points and 22 rebounds were the first double-double allowed by the Jets since Jaxon Jones went for 10 points and 10 rebounds for Northeastern State February 17, 2022.

 
AND THEN…
The Jets head west to face Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney in their last games of the first semester next weekend.
 
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
Week 4:  Kaleb Hammeke – Fort Hays State
 
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