Games 13 & 14:
Newman (5-7, 2-5 MIAA) @ Rogers State (3-10, 1-6, MIAA)
Thursday, January 5, 2023 | 5:30 p.m. | Claremore, Okla. (Claremore Expo Center)
Audio:  91.3 KRSC-FM (Play-by-Play:  Steven Blackiston)| Video:  MIAA Network | Live Stats:  RSU Athletics
 
@ Northeastern State (4-7, 1-6 MIAA)
Saturday, January 7, 2023 | 1:30 p.m. | Tahlequah, Okla. (NSU Event Center)
Audio:  None | Video:  MIAA Network | Live Stats:  NSU Athletics
 
LET'S GET ROLLING
The Jets go for consecutive conference wins on the road in Oklahoma this week.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Newman held Emporia State to 30% shooting and overcame a 17-4 deficit at the end of the first quarter to knock off the Lady Hornets 52-49 December 31, 2022, at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita.  Emporia State started quickly with an 8-0 run but then hit a five-minute scoring drought as the Jets clawed back within four with under two minutes to play in the quarter.  In a blink, ESU ripped off nine straight to end the frame and extended the run to a 15-2 sprint that lasted less than 3 minutes to take a commanding 23-6 lead.  That's when the Jet defense took control of the game sending E-State on a scoreless drought that spanned nearly seven minutes.  NU took advantage by outscoring the Lady Hornets 16-2 over the last eight minutes of the half to go into the break trailing 25-21.  After the Lady Hornets built their lead back to nine, the Jets cut it as close as two in the third before back-to-back ESU baskets made it 38-32 for the visitors heading to the fourth.  Emporia State struck first in the final frame on a Newman turnover to go up eight, but the Jets responded with an 8-0 run to tie the game.  After another ESU jumper, a Carissa Beck 3-pointer gave NU their first lead of the game.  Neither team was able to lead by more than two down the stretch until Lauren Dubbert nailed a heavily guarded 3-pointer with 25 seconds to play.  Emporia State missed two game-tying threes in the last 15 seconds as the Jet defense held on for the win.  Britney Ho led the Jets with 16 points.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Rogers State enters the week tied for 12^th in the MIAA standings with Northeastern State.  RSU showed progress last season finishing 11-17 with a 7-15 record in MIAA play.  It was the Hillcats' first season with at least 10 wins since finishing 14-14 in RSU's last year in the Heartland Conference in 2018-19.  The 11 wins last year was a five-victory improvement over 2020-21 as RSU looks to notch their first winning season since a 14-12 finish in 2015-16.  The Hillcats haven't finished with a winning conference record since going 12-4 in the Sooner Athletic Conference in 2012-13 in the program's last season as an NAIA member.  RSU capped their time in the NAIA with five consecutive winning seasons, the last four of which were 20-win campaigns.  Since joining NCAA Division II in 2013, the Hillcats have managed just one winning season in nine tries and have suffered back-to-back-to-back losing seasons since joining the MIAA.  The Hillcats are looking for their first national postseason tournament appearance since going 1-1 in the 2013 NAIA Tournament.  The Hillcats haven't tasted postseason play since a first-round loss to No. 5 seed St. Edwards in the final Heartland Conference Tournament in 2019.  RSU is seeking its first NCAA Tournament appearance.
 
Northeastern State went 7-21 in 2021-22 which was a one-win improvement over the prior year.  The RiverHawks finished 5-17 in MIAA play and finished with their ninth-straight losing season.  The RiverHawks last notched a winning record in their first year in the MIAA in 2012-13 with a 19-8 record and a 14-4 mark in MIAA action.  That was the 14^th consecutive winning season for a program that won six North Division titles in the Lone Star Conference and the 2003 Lone Star Conference Tournament.  The RiverHawks finished as the runner-up in the MIAA in 2013 but haven't notched a winning league record since.  NSU finished their last two seasons as a Lone Star Conference member going 53-12 with a 25-3 LSC record.  As an independent school, the 'Hawks went 25-5 in 2011-12 and made their third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance and the program's most recent.  NSU claims seven NCAA appearances overall and twice has made the Sweet 16.  NSU is looking to end a four-year postseason drought by making the MIAA Tournament for the first time since 2018 this season.
 
Northeastern State hosts in-state rival Central Oklahoma on Thursday.
 
THE SERIES
Newman leads Rogers State 12-6 with the Hillcats having taken the last two games in the series.    The series is tied 3-3 in the MIAA era of the rivalry with the Jets winning 9 of 12 meetings with the 'Cats as Heartland Conference foes.  This is just the second time RSU has won consecutive games in the series and the first since sweeping NU during the 2015-16 season.
 
The RiverHawks lead the series 6-1 and have won four in a row against the Navy & Red.  NSU leads 5-1 in MIAA games and beat the Jets in the teams' only postseason meeting in the first round of the 2012 NCAA Tournament.
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUP
Rogers State jumped out to a big lead and then poured on the points at the end to secure a 69-56 victory over the Jets while celebrating homecoming February 19, 2022, at the Claremore Expo Center in Claremore.  A 3-pointer at the buzzer to end the first quarter gave RSU a 20-11 lead after the first.  The Hillcats grew their advantage as high as 16 in the second before a 9-2 Newman run sliced the deficit to nine at the half.  The Jets grew the run to 18-3 in the third quarter and outscored the Hillcats 18-8 to hold a slim edge going to the fourth.  RSU started the fourth strong with a 12-3 run to take a 51-43 lead with just over seven minutes to play.  The Jets mounted one final push and cut the lead to one with a 10-3 run that ended with just under 5 minutes to play.  From there it was all 'Cats as RSU scored nine straight as part of a 15-3 run to end the game.  Britney Ho led Newman with a double-double of 24 points and 10 rebounds, both game highs.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
Northeastern State overcame a 13-4 first quarter deficit by outscoring the Jets 39-23 in the middle two periods on the way to a 64-57 victory February 17, 2022, at the NSU Event Center in Tahlequah.  The Jets stifled the RiverHawk offense into 1-for-14 shooting in the first period but managed just six field goal attempts in the second quarter.  The 'Hawks dominated at the charity stripe in the second half hitting 22 of 32 charity shots in the half while NU was awarded just 18 free throw attempts the entire game.  Tiffany Dortland and Britney Ho each paced the Jets with 12 points.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
DE-FENSE
Newman has held two of its last three opponents under their scoring average in conference games.  Nebraska-Kearney was held to 59 points by the Navy & Red, 10 below their average in conference games, while Emporia State scored just 49 in NU's last matchup, a whopping 20 points below the Lady Hornets' normal total heading into the game.  NU held both of those opponents under 40% shooting from the field and under 25% from outside the arc.
 
LIVING DANGEROUSLY
NU had to overcome 30 turnovers in their win against Emporia State.  It tied the record for the most turnovers for the Jets in a Newman win since NU gave it away 30 times while beating Alaska-Fairbanks 71-61 in a true road game November 24, 2016.  While the Jets have turned it over between 25 and 29 times and emerged victorious several times in program history, these are the only two times the Jets have won despite turning it over 30 or more times.
 
CARISSA KNOWS IT ALL
Carissa Beck continues to move up Newman's career 3-point field goals list.  Beck most recently passed Rhea Codio's 71 treys made in just one season in 2010-11.  Codio's 71 3-pointers that season are also fourth on the NU single-season list.  Beck needs four 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
5.             Cheniqwa Banks                     113          54            2012-14
7.             Hadley Freeman                     95            79            2007-10
8.             Braxtyn Stewart                      82            106          2017-21
9.             Carissa Beck                           78            40            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. 
 
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 Rogers State and Northeastern State.
 
HERDING THE HILLCATS & FLYING WITH THE RIVERHAWKS
Kyle Bent is in his fifth year leading Hillcat women's basketball and entered the season with a career record of 196-166 with an 95-94 mark in conference play.  Through 2021-22, Bent was 130-109 at 4-year schools and 35-71 at Rogers State with an 22-55 record inside 'The Association.'  Bent's best Hillcat team was his first in 2018-19, a team that finished 14-14 overall and fourth in the Heartland Conference standings with a 7-7 record.  Bent's last three seasons on 'The Hilltop' are the only three in his career that his teams have missed the postseason.  Prior to joining RSU, Bent coached four successful seasons at Martin Methodist (renamed to University of Tennessee Southern in 2021) and went 95-38 while leading the RedHawks (now FireHawks) to a 53-19 record in the Southern States Athletic Conference.  Bent finished with at least 21 wins in his four seasons with the 'Hawks and led them to the 2018 SSAC title and four NAIA Tournament appearances. 
 
In his first collegiate job, Bent transformed Danville Area Community College into a contender in just four seasons.  DACC finished 3-26 his first year but went 63-31 over his next three seasons, culminating by sharing the 2014 Mid-West Athletic Conference regular season championship.  For his effort, Bent was recognized as the 2012 NJCAA Region XXIV Coach of the Year.  Bent's coaching career started at his alma mater where he coached the University of Illinois Women's Club basketball team to a 36-8 record, a whopping 34-win improvement over the previous year, and the 2010 Women's National Collegiate Club Basketball Championship. 
 
Bent is 3-5 against the Jets in his RSU career.
 
Fala Suiaunoa (formerly Bullock) is in her sixth season on the bench for the RiverHawks in Tahlequah.  She entered the season with a 132-170 overall record in ten seasons as a head coach and began the year 34-97 at NSU with an 18-78 mark inside the league.  Her first team is NSU's last to make the postseason and it is also NSU's most recent team to win at least 10 games.  Prior to taking over at Northeastern State, Suiaunoa spent four seasons at Armstrong State and took her 2013-14 squad to the Sweet 16 in the NCAA tournament.  After going 21-8 in her first year, Armstrong State went 39-44 over Suiaunoa's final three seasons.  She started her career by leading Central Georgia to a 38-22 record over two seasons from 2011-13.  Suiaunoa previously served as an assistant coach at Midwestern State and Northeastern Oklahoma A&M.  She started her playing career at Irvine Valley College before transferring to Northeastern State as a junior graduating in 2004.
 
Suiaunoa is 5-1 against Newman in Tahlequah.
 
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.  Five 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 Latvia and Spain joining the squad for 2022-23.
 
BRINGING THEIR 'A' GAME

• Senior Britney Ho is currently fourth in the MIAA in scoring at 17.2 ppg.
• Ho's 48.6% shooting from the field is eighth in 'The Association.'
• Senior Carissa Beck leads the MIAA in 3-point field goal percentage at 50.9%.
• Beck is tied for third in the conference with 2.3 3-point field goals per game.
• Graduate Maddie Spagnola is tied for third in the MIAA in assists averaging 4.0 apg.

 
NU STATS N' STREAKS

• Ho has now scored in double figures in back-to-back-to-back games and 11 of her 12 contests this year.
• Sophomore Lauryn Dubbert has scored in double figures in back-to-back games and matched her career high for the first time with four 3-pointers against Emporia State.
• Spanish freshman Monica Redondo dished a career-high six assists in NU's win against the Lady Hornets.
• Former Coffeyville Red Raven Amiya Josey set a career high with four assists against ESU.
• In MIAA action, NU is 14^th offensively scoring 50.0 ppg.
• The Jets rank 12^th defensively allowing 73.0 ppg against MIAA competition.
• 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.
• With a win, the Jets will earn consecutive conference victories for the first time since February of 2020.  In a must-win situation, the Jets knocked off Emporia State 68-67 February 20, 2020, at home and backed it up with buzzer-beater win over Nebraska-Kearney 66-65 on February 27, 2020, also at Fugate Gymnasium.  The Jets had to win both games to keep their MIAA Tournament hopes alive.

 
COMING ATTRACTIONS
Newman is back home next week to host Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri.  It will be the Jets only meeting with the Bearcats this season.
 
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)
Week 6:  Brooke Littrell – Central Missouri
Week 7:  Brooke Littrell (2) – Central Missouri (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