WICHITA - Men's Basketball won yet another exciting contest at home, this time defeating Fort Hays State, one of the top ten ranked teams in the Central region.
The Jets had come off an impressive win over Nebraska Kearney on Friday, and for the the first time this season the Jets got the much sought back to back victories.
With both teams making highly contested shots, one Jet in particular stood out among the rest in the first half.
Thomas Zevgaras, the senior from Greece, was a great scoring threat for Newman this afternoon, who astonishingly scored the team's first 8 points, including a huge three pointer, something the crowd was not expecting to see.
Despite his hot start, the Tigers were able to maintain a strong lead early.
Led by Zevgaras,
Stevie Strong and
Jacob Joe, the Jets turned a once 12 point deficit into just a single point by the half. Strong and Joe would continue to hit clutch three pointers in the second half.
The second half was one of the most exciting out of any game this season. The Jets would come all the way back from that first half deficit and take an 8 point lead with just over 6 minutes reaming.
The Tigers would overcome this deficit and take a small lead with just a minute remaining, until
Sam Somerhalder scored a layup with 40 seconds left in regulation.
After two tough defensive stands and almost scoring at the buzzer, the Jets took the game to overtime.
The Jets allowed only 2 field goals in overtime and thanks to more clutch buckets from Strong and newcomer
Devin Walker, the Jets scored a massive win to close out 2023.
Strong finished with 25 points and 8 assists, while Zevgaras had a season high 16 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double performance.
With the win, the Jets move to 6-2 at home, which ties last seasons home win total.
The Jets enter the break with a 6-5 record and a 3-3 conference record. They currently sit in 9th place in the MIAA standings.
The team will look to get their first wins on the road this season, heading to Emporia State and Washburn to open 2024.
