Games 8 & 9:
Newman (4-3, 1-1 MIAA) vs. Pittsburg State (6-2, 2-1 MIAA)
Wednesday, December 7, 2022 | 5:30 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Fugate Gymnasium)
Audio:  Newman Jets Audio Network (Play-by-Play:  Blake Cripps) | Video:  MIAA Network | Live Stats:  NU Athletics
 
vs. #4/#2 Missouri Southern (9-0, 2-0 MIAA)
Saturday, December 10, 2022 | 1:30 p.m. | Wichita, Kan. (Fugate Gymnasium)
Audio:  Newman Jets Audio Network (Play-by-Play:  Blake Cripps) | Video:  MIAA Network | Live Stats:  NU Athletics
 
PROTECT THE 'GATE
The Jets play their first MIAA games of the year at home this week.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Central Missouri used a 9-2 run to get separation at the end of the first quarter and the Jets were never closer than three scores the rest of the way in an 83-38 loss to the #23 Jennies Dec. 3 at the Multipurpose Building in Warrensburg, Mo.  The typically sharpshooting Jets hit just 2 of 14 3-point shots in the game while UCM blistered the nets hitting 12 of 23 shots from downtown.  The Jennies capitalized on 20 NU turnovers, 18 of which occurred in the final 25 minutes of the game, to outscore the Jets 23-4 in points off turnovers.  Britney Ho was the only Jet in double figures and continued her streak above 10 points by scoring 16 on 7-for-14 shooting.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
Earlier last week, the Jets ended a 21-game road losing streak with a thrilling 74-67 overtime win at Lincoln, ending the game on a 7-0 run.
 
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
The Gorillas wrapped 2021-22 with a 16-13 record while splitting their 22 conference games at 11-11.  The Gorillas were good at home inside John Lance Arena with an 11-4 home record but struggled to a 4-8 mark away from Pittsburg, Kan.  The Gorillas have notched 12-straight winning seasons since a 14-14 campaign in 2009-10.  Prior to that season, Pitt State had a losing record in three of the four prior seasons.  A 17-11 mark in the 2019-20 season ended a stretch of six-straight 20-win seasons during which the Gorillas went a combined 148-43.  Last season's .500 mark in MIAA play snapped a streak of 13-straight seasons with a winning conference record dating back to a 4-14 MIAA mark in the 2007-08 campaign that saw PSU finish 10-17.  The Gorillas are seeking their 12^th NCAA Tournament appearance and first since 2019. 
 
Pitt State enters the week sixth offensively scoring 70.9 ppg and 10^th defensively giving up 67.3 ppg.  Karenna Gerber is a consistent double-double threat for the Gorillas and leads the team with 16.8 ppg and 8.1 rpg.  Tristan Gegg is among the league leaders in 3-point percentage and paces the league hitting 3.4 3-pointers per game.  The Gorillas were 1-1 last week with a six-point loss to Missouri Western and a five-point victory over Northwest Missouri at John Lance Arena in Pittsburg.
 
Missouri Southern stunned the MIAA by going 19-3 in league games to tie for the regular season conference title with Fort Hays State.  It was the Lions' first MIAA women's basketball crown in program history.  The Lions emphatically ended a streak of five-straight losing seasons with a 24-7 record.  The Lions' season ended in a heartbreaking 69-67 loss to #16 St. Cloud State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, MoSo's first since 1996.  Before last year, the Lions hadn't finished above .500 since going 18-12 in 2015-16.  MSSU's last winning MIAA season in 2014-15 (14-5) was also the last time the Lions won at least 20 games in a season going 20-7 that year.  The Lions are seeking their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance in 2023.
 
Southern enters Week 5 of the season just behind Newman at fifth in scoring offense at 71.6 ppg.  The Lions are also fifth defensively giving up 54.9 ppg.  Reigning 2022 MIAA Player and Freshman of the year Lacy Stokes continues to impress and leads MSSU in scoring at 15.2 ppg and in assists with 56 against just 14 turnovers.  Madi Stokes (no relation) is among the league leaders in rebounding at 9.7 rpg.  The Lions went 2-0 at home last week with a 15-point victory over Northwest Missouri before holding on for a six-point win against Missouri Western.
 
MoSo visits Central Oklahoma on Thursday.
 
THE SERIES
Pittsburg State leads 14-2, 6-0 in NU's NCAA DII era, 5-0 in MIAA play.  The Jets are 0-2 against the Gorillas at Fugate Gymnasium as an NCAA program.
 
The Lions are 7-2 against the Jets overall with a 3-2 record in games featuring both teams as NCAA Division II programs.  The Lions posted a 4-0 record against the Jets while MSSU was an NCAA Division II member, and the Jets were in the NAIA.  The Jets are 1-0 against Lions in Wichita in the NCAA era of the rivalry.  The Lions have won three of the last four games in the series.
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUP
The Jets whittled a 13-point deficit down to four in the second half, but Pittsburg State dominated the final 10 minutes to end NU's hopes of a Senior Day upset knocking off the Jets 77-52 February 26, 2022, at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita.  Senior Makayla Hayes appropriately opened the scoring with a 3-pointer in her final game in a Newman uniform.  After a tight first quarter, the Gorillas outscored the Jets 16-7 in the second to lead 29-18 going into the halftime break.  NU outscored PSU 16-12 in the third quarter to hang around, but the Gorillas ripped off a 19-1 run on the way to outscoring the Jets 36-18 in the frame.  Britney Ho led the Jets with 13 points and nine rebounds.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
On the verge of being blown out of the gym, the Jets mounted a huge first half comeback and closed to within one point of the Lions in the second half, but the Navy & Red never took the lead and Missouri Southern closed out a 59-51 victory over Newman December 4, 2021, at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center in Joplin, Mo.  The Lions charged out to a 21-13 lead after 10 minutes and led by 17 with just over three minutes to go in the first half.  A fiery timeout by Drew Johnson energized the team and Newman responded with an 11-2 run to get within 37-29 at the half.  The third period was a defensive struggle, and the Jets outscored the Lions 10-7 in the frame and closed to within one point in the period, but MoSo retook a double-digit lead with a 9-1 run midway through the fourth quarter to take control of the game.  NU cut the deficit to six with two minutes to go but would not score again.  Amoni White paced the Jets with 15 points.  The Jets held eventual MIAA Freshman and Player of the Year Lacy Stokes to 11 points on just 4-for-16 shooting.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
WORKING OVERTIME
The Jets needed 45 minutes to beat the Lincoln Blue Tigers on the road last week.  It was the first overtime win for the Navy & Red since nipping Arkansas-Fort Smith 62-61 February 7, 2019, on the road at the Stubblefield Center in Fort Smith, Ark.  In that game, the Jets gave up an 18-5 run to the Lady Lions over the final nine minutes of the first quarter and trailed 28-17 at the break.  NU made their move in the third quarter by outscoring UAFS 20-11 in the frame.  Kaitlyn Potter hit a 3-pointer in the final minute to tie the game and send it to overtime.  The Lions used a 9-3 run in overtime to take a five-point lead with under three minutes to play.  The Lions wouldn't score again as the Jets ended the game scoring six straight points.  Senior Bria DeGrate scored her only field goal of the game, the game-winning layup, with 15 seconds to play.
 
Three Jets played at least 40 minutes in the Lincoln win, the first time a Jet has registered at least 40 minutes since Carissa Beck played all 40 minutes in a loss to #22 Nebraska-Kearney February 5, 2022.
 
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.
 
SOUPED UP SUPERLATIVES
The Jets' record-breaking win over Manhattan Christian Nov. 28 also updated several superlatives for the Jets.  The 91-point win was the first win of at least 50 points since the Jets beat MCC last season 91-23.  That 68-point win was the second-largest margin of victory in program history before Monday's beatdown of the Thunder.  Carissa Beck's 30 points were the first time a Jet had scored 30 since Kaitlyn Potter went for 30 in a road win at Missouri-St. Louis November 29, 2019.  The Jets 36 turnovers forced against Manhattan Christian were the first time the Jets had forced at least 25 turnovers against an opponent when they turned MCC over 25 times November 27, 2021.
 
CARISSA KNOWS IT ALL
Carissa Beck set the NU single-game 3-point field goals made record by going 10-for-13 from outside the arc Nov. 28 against Manhattan Christian.  Beck's previous career high was six, set against Lincoln in Fugate Gymnasium the last week of the season last year.  Beck has hit 20 3-pointers on the season and is now 10^th in program history in career 3-point field goals made.  Beck knocked Dede Johnson off the list who connected on 51 threes in 60 games from 2017-19.  The 13 attempts by Beck in the game, surprisingly, does not crack the top 10 in 3-pointers attempted in a game.  There have been seven occurrences of 14 threes attempted in a game, which are tied for sixth most in program history.  Kaitlyn Potter is the current record holder after attempting 17 3-pointers against St. Mary's January 17, 2019.
 
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.             Rhea Codio                              71            27            2010-11
10.           Carissa Beck                           70            35            2021-23
 
HO NO!!
Britney Ho missed an opportunity to claim a record for herself in the Jets victory Nov. 28 over Manhattan Christian College.  Ho had started the season 12-for-12 from the free throw line and had tied Brooke Haney for the most consecutive free throws made to begin a season, but her first attempt from the line missed off the rim.  Haney accomplished the feat over nine games to begin the 2019-20 season while Ho managed it in just four games this year.  Ho had made 14-straight at the line dating back to last season and was chasing Kaitlyn Potter's program record of 22-straight free throws made, also set in 2019-20.  Ho enters this week an impressive 16-for-17 at the line and has made 18 of her last 19 dating back to her last game in 2020-21.  (Editor's note:  The Newman Jets Audio Network did NOT mention this record before the shot, further proving that there is no such thing as the 'announcer's jinx'.)
 
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.
 
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 Pittsburg State and 0-1 against Missouri Southern.
 
LEADING THE TROOP AND PREPARING THE PRIDE
Amanda Davied is in her fifth year as head coach at Pittsburg State.  She started the season with a 68-42 record at her alma mater.  Her Gorillas went 21-9 in her debut season of 2018-19 making the NCAA Tournament and finishing 13-6 in MIAA play.  She is the only coach in Pitt State history to win at least 20 games in her first year on the bench.  Davied is in her 19^th year as a member of the Gorilla coaching staff after spending 14 seasons assisting Lane Lord who departed the position to become head coach at NCAA Division I member Texas Rio Grande Valley.  Heading into the 2021-22 season, the Gorillas have an overall record of 351-202 with Davied on the bench with six NCAA Tournament appearances and two trips to the Elite Eight.  The Farlington, Kan., native also enjoyed a standout playing career as a Gorilla scoring 1,299 points to finish as a top 10 scorer in school history.  She also set records for career assists and career free throw percentage and graduated from Pittsburg State in December 2003.
 
Davied is a perfect 5-0 against the Navy & Red.
 
Ronnie Ressel begins his seventh year as the head coach of Lions women's basketball in 2021-22.  He previously served three years as an assistant coach and one year as the interim head coach in Joplin before receiving the job full-time.  Ressel has spent nearly two decades in the Missouri Southern athletic department.  A member of the MSSU class of 1992, he rejoined his alma mater for the 2002-03 season after 10 years at Rend Lake College in Illinois.  Ressel entered the season with a 80-89 record as the Lions' head coach.  During Ressel's time as an assistant under Ronda Hubbard, the Lions went 57-27 with three MIAA Tournament appearances.  Last season, he guided the Lions to their first regular season MIAA Championship in program history.  Ressel spent 11 seasons as an assistant with the Lions men's basketball program, during which MSSU went 204-145 with 11 appearances in the MIAA Tournament.  Ressel was a two-year letterman for the Lions and led the team in assists in the 1989-90 and 1990-91 seasons. 
 
Ressel is 2-1 in his career against NU.
 
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 second in the MIAA in scoring at 19.1 ppg.
• Ho's 53.8% shooting from the field ties for seventh in 'The Association.'
• Senior Carissa Beck leads the MIAA in 3-point field goal percentage at 51.3%.
• Beck is second in the conference with 2.9 3-point field goals per game.
• Graduate Maddie Spagnola is fifth in the MIAA in assists averaging 4.3 apg.
• Spagnola's 1.5 assist to turnover ratio is tied for 10^th best in the league.
• Spagnola is 10^th in steals in the league at 1.9 spg.

 
NU STATS N' STREAKS

• Ho, a former Bishop Carroll High School Golden Eagle, has scored in double figures in all seven games to open the season and is on a 13-game streak of double-digit scoring dating back to last season.
• Newman is fourth in the league offensively scoring 76.6 ppg.
• NU is 11^th in the MIAA defensively allowing 67.4 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 ended a program-worst 21-game road losing streak in their win last week at Lincoln.  It was the Navy & Red's first true road victory since beating Washburn 56-52 December 5, 2020, at Lee Arena in Topeka, Kan.
• With a win against the Top 25 Lions, the Jets will end a nine-game losing streak 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 0-1 against the Top 25 this season.
• Lincoln's Saniya Simmons registered five steals against NU last week, the first opponent to do so since Camille Evans had five for Missouri Western in an Jet loss at the Griffons February 16, 2021.
• #23 Central Missouri was the first team to score in the 80's against the Jets since Pittsburg State beat NU 88-50 in Pittsburg December 1, 2021.  The 45-point loss was the first loss of at least 40 points for NU since being beat by a program-record 49 points February 4, 2022, by #6 Fort Hays State.  The Jennies were also the first team to shoot over 50% from the field against the Navy & Red since Central Oklahoma hit 52.9% of their shots against Newman February 12, 2022.

 
COMING ATTRACTIONS
NU hits the road for their 'West coast' MIAA swing in Hays, Kan. and Kearney, Neb. to wrap up the first semester next week.
 
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
 
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