Game 28:
No. 9 Newman (10-17, 7-15 MIAA) @ 2023 MIAA Tournament
 
First Round – vs. No. 8 Northwest Missouri (14-14, 9-13 MIAA)
Wednesday, March 1, 2023 | 6:00 p.m. | Kansas City, Mo. (Municipal Auditorium)
Audio:  Newman Jets Audio Network (Play-by-Play:  Blake Cripps) | Video:  The MIAA Network | Live Stats:  MIAA Championship
 
LET'S GO DANCING
The Jets make their MIAA Tournament debut this week against the eighth-seeded Northwest Missouri Bearcats on Wednesday.
 
LAST TIME OUT
The Jets bounced back from a disappointing loss Wednesday with a strong finish on Senior Day picking up their first-ever win over Central Oklahoma 72-66 Saturday Feb. 25 at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita.  The victory, along with Emporia State's defeat of Washburn, put the Jets into a 3-way tiebreaker for the final two spots at the MIAA Tournament.  The Navy & Red and the Bronze & Blue both snuck into MIAA Madness while Washburn was left on the outside looking in.  The Jets started Senior Day strong with a 17-9 lead after one, but UCO closed strong in the second quarter to cut the deficit to three at the half.  The Bronchos tied the game four times but never took the lead as the Jets advanced to the post season for the first time since 2019.  Britney Ho led the way on her Senior Day with 20 points and 11 rebounds.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
Earlier last week, the Jets were humbled by Missouri Western 97-49 in St. Joseph, Mo.
 
IT'S BEEN A WHILE…
Newman women's basketball returns to the postseason for the first time since the 2018-19 season and makes its first-ever appearance at the MIAA Tournament this week.  In March of 2019, the Jets were the No. 2 seed at the final Heartland Conference Tournament and went 2-1 with wins over Oklahoma Christian and St. Mary's before falling in the championship match against top seed and eventual national champion Lubbock Christian.  This will be Newman's ninth postseason appearance in 16 seasons as a Division II program.  The Jets are 4-8 in postseason games with a 4-7 mark in the Heartland Conference Tournament while dropping their only game played in the NCAA Tournament in 2012.
 
BEHIND ENEMY LINES
Northwest enters the tournament as the No. 8 seed making back-to-back appearances at MIAA Madness.  The Bearcats showed huge improvement a season ago finishing with the most wins for a Northwest Missouri team since 2011.  Northwest ended a streak of eight-straight losing seasons overall and in conference by finishing 17-12 with a 12-10 MIAA record last year.  The 17 wins was 10 more than Northwest had the season before and is the most for the program since a magical 29-5 team won the MIAA with an 18-4 conference record in 2010-11.  Those Bearcats won the regular season and tournament conference titles and advanced in the NCAA Tournament all the way to the Final Four before falling to Michigan Tech.  The Bearcats had finished with a losing record in nine of the last ten seasons prior to last year.  The Bearcats advanced to MIAA Madness a season ago and played postseason basketball for the first time since 2017.  Northwest is looking for its seventh NCAA Tournament appearance and first since its 2011 Final Four run.
 
Northwest Missouri finished the MIAA ranked 10^th in offense scoring 60.4 ppg and third defensively allowing just 59.8 ppg.  Molly Hartnett leads the Bearcats with 13.6 ppg while teammate Kelsey Fields led the conference with 9.5 rpg.  Hartnett finished first in the league in free throw percentage at 91.3% and sixth in assist to turnover ratio at 1.8.
 
THE SERIES
Northwest Missouri leads Newman 4-0 with the entirety of the series occurring in the MIAA.  This will be the first postseason meeting between the two teams.
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUP
Newman's offense turned frigid in the fourth quarter and Northwest Missouri State pulled away for a 67-53 victory over the Jets January 14, 2023, at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita.  The Jets trailed early but pulled back into the game in the second and third period thanks to a monster afternoon by senior forward Britney Ho.  Trailing at the break by six, the Jets used an 8-0 run to take a 46-41 lead late in the third.  Northwest found an answer to the Navy & Red offensive attack and went on a 26-6 run that spanned 12 minutes to put the Jets away late.  The Bearcats outscored the Jets 22-7 in the fourth period.  NU turned the ball over 20 times and was outscored in points off turnovers 25-11.  Ho notched her third-straight double-double with 24 points and 11 rebounds.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
LAST TIME OUT IN THE POSTSEASON
After allowing NU's Abbey George to start the game with a made jumper, the top-seeded #25 Lubbock Christian Lady Chaparrals answered with a 17-2 run and were never threatened on the way to a 78-51 victory in the title match of the 2019 Heartland Conference Tournament March 10, 2019, at the Union Multipurpose Activity Center in Tulsa, Okla.  The loss ended a seven-game winning streak for the Jets while the top-seeded Lady Chaps went on to win the NCAA Tournament later that March.  The Jets were dominated on the glass 43-26 and LCU took advantage with 14 second chance points.  NU trailed by 18 after the first and never got closer than 16 the rest of the way.  Bria DeGrate ended her legendary Newman career by leading the Jets with 14 points.
Full Recap | Box Score
 
MISS 1,000
With a first-quarter 3-pointer against the Bronchos Saturday, Britney Ho passed 1,000 points in her collegiate career.  Ho has now scored 753 points as a Jet ranking seventh on NU's career scoring list.  Combined with her 265 points in two years as a RiverHawk at Northeastern State, Ho has now scored 1,018 points in 102 career games.  If Ho had played her entire career in Wichita, she would be second in career scoring behind only Bria DeGrate.
 
CAREER SCORING
Rk            Player                                      Points      Games    Years      
1.             Bria DeGrate                           1,268       113          2015-19
2.             Hannah Alexander                  938          58            2016-18
3.             Alexandra Ciabattoni              904          53            2012-14
4.             Kaitlyn Potter                          888          59            2018-20
5.             Tasha Cannon                          866          56            2010-12
6.             Mali Wright                             808          97            2013-17
7.             Britney Ho                              753          54            2021-23
8.             Faith Mason-Vestal                697          94            2018-22
9.             Haley Albers                            683          110          2017-21
10.           Abbey George                         679          104          2017-21
 
Ho's 473 points this season have landed her in fourth in season scoring in school history, passing Kaitlyn Potter's 471 points in her senior campaign last week.  Ho bids to become just the fourth Jet to score over 500 points in a single season this week at the MIAA Tournament.
 
SEASON SCORING
Rk            Player                                      Points      Games    Year        
1.             Satoria Bell                             656          29            2011-12
2.             Alexandra Ciabattoni              548          27            2013-14
3.             Hannah Alexander                  519          29            2017-18
4.             Britney Ho                              473          27            2022-23
5.             Kaitlyn Potter                          471          28            2019-20
6.             Tasha Cannon                          460          29            2011-12
7.             Bria DeGrate                           447          31            2018-19
8.             Hannah Alexander                  419          29            2016-17
9.             Kaitlyn Potter                          417          31            2018-19
10.           Tasha Cannon                          406          27            2010-11
 
IT'S A TOP TEN HIT
Britney Ho has now moved into sixth all-time in career field goals made.  Last week Ho passed Kaitlyn Potter and is now one behind Mali Wright's 317 field goals.  Wright accomplished the feat in four seasons from 2013-17, though one season was significantly shortened by a knee injury.
 
CAREER FIELD GOALS MADE
Rk.           Player                                      FGM        Games    Years      
1.             Bria DeGrate                           381          113          2015-19
2.             Hannah Alexander                  375          58            2016-18
3.             Alexandra Ciabbatoni             347          53            2012-14
4.             Tasha Cannon                          340          56            2010-12
5.             Mali Wright                             317          97            2013-17
6.             Britney Ho                              316          54            2021-23
7.             Kaitlyn Potter                          298          59            2018-20
8.             Faith Mason-Vestal                261          87            2018-22
9.             Abbey George                         254          95            2017-21
10.           Haley Albers                            242          103          2017-21
 
Ho is now in fourth all-time in field goals made in a season.  Ho now needs five field goals to catch Hannah Alexander's 201 in her senior campaign in 2017-18.  Ho would be just the fourth Jet to make over 200 field goals in a single season.  Ho passed Tasha Cannon for seventh in career field goals attempted last week
 
SEASON FIELD GOALS MADE
Rk.           Player                                      FGM        Games    Year        
1.             Satoria Bell                             239          29            2011-12
2.             Alexandra Ciabbatoni             209          27            2013-14
3.             Hannah Alexander                  201          29            2017-18
4.             Britney Ho                              196          27            2022-23
5.             Hannah Alexander                  174          29            2016-17
6.             Tasha Cannon                          171          29            2011-12
7.             Tasha Cannon                          169          27            2010-11
8.             Kaitlyn Potter                          158          28            2019-20
9.             Mali Wright                             146          29            2016-17
10.           Bria DeGrate                           141          31            2018-19
 
Ho has now attempted 384 shots this season, fourth behind Kaitlyn Potters 434 in 28 games during her senior campaign in 2019-20.
 
IT'S ALL BOARDED UP
Britney Ho isn't just a scorer, she's also established herself as one of the program's most prolific rebounders.  Ho passed Celeste Key for tenth in career rebounds this month and now has 311 becoming the 10^th Jet to top 300 rebounds in a career.  She trails Faith Mason-Vestal who sits in ninth with 351 rebounds in 87 games from 2018-22.
 
CAREER REBOUNDS
Rk.           Player                                      Reb          Games    Years      
1.             Tasha Cannon                          510          56            2010-12
2.             Abbey George                         477          104          2017-21
3.             Cierra Tjaden                          439          107          2013-17
4.             Bria DeGrate                           438          113          2015-19
5.             Haley Albers                            413          110          2017-21
6.             Mali Wright                             407          97            2013-17
7.             Alexandra Ciabattoni              386          53            2012-14
8.             Erica Olerich                            352          53            2015-18
9.             Faith Mason-Vestal                351          87            2018-22
10.           Britney Ho                              311          54            2021-23
 
Ho has now crept into the top ten in season rebounding for Newman.  Last week, Ho passed Satoria Bell and Alex Adekunle to move into eighth in season rebounds.  Ho is seven behind Kesha Buckner and Natalia Hausmann who are tied in sixth with 181 rebounds.
 
SEASON REBOUNDS
Rk.           Player                                      Reb          Games    Year        
1.             Tasha Cannon                          272          29            2011-12
2.             Tasha Cannon                          238          27            2010-11
3.             Alexandra Ciabattoni              203          26            2012-13
4.             Erica Olerich                            196          29            2017-18
5.             Alexandra Ciabattoni              183          27            2013-14
6.             Kesha Buckner                        181          26            2014-15
Natalia Hausmann                  181          29            2016-17
8.             Britney Ho                              174          27            2022-23
9.             Alex Adekunle                         169          27            2010-11
10.           Satoria Bell                             166          29            2011-12
 
CARISSA KNOWS IT ALL
Carissa Beck continues to move up Newman's career 3-point field goals list.  Beck most recently passed Hadley Freeman for seventh on the all-time list.  Beck is the seventh Jet with at least 100 treys in her career.  She is 10 shy of tying Rainey Nickel and Cheniqwa Banks for fifth in career 3-pointers.
 
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.             Carissa Beck                           103          55            2021-23
8.             Hadley Freeman                     95            79            2007-10
9.             Braxtyn Stewart                      82            106          2017-21
10.           Rhea Codio                              71            27            2010-11
 
Last week Beck passed Braxtyn Stewart for eighth in career 3-point field goals attempted.
 
THE GLUE GIRL
Graduate Maddie Spagnola has been doing the little things for Newman in her one year with the program and has etched her name into NU's record book despite playing just one season in the Navy & Red.  Spagnola's 91 assists this season are tied for seventh most in a single season with Cierra Tjaden who also notched 91 assists in the 2014-15 season.  Spagnola will bid to become the seventh Jet to record 100 assists in a single season at the 2023 MIAA Tournament.
 
SEASON ASSISTS
Rk.           Player                                      Ast           Games    Year        
1.             Rhea Codio                              123          27            2010-11
2.             Kianna Flannagan                   113          27            2012-13
3.             Kaycee McGill                         111          27            2007-08
4.             Cierra Tjaden                          109          26            2013-14
5.             Michaela Mack                        107          28            2019-20
6.             Dede Johnson                          103          31            2018-19
7.             Cierra Tjaden                          91            26            2014-15
                Maddie Spagnola                   91            27            2022-23
9.             Shakira Raynor                        85            27            2013-14
10.           Cierra Tjaden                          80            29            2016-17
 
Spagnola is also having one of the best steals seasons in program history.  With two more takeaways last week, Spagnola passed Shaunice Robinson for eighth in season steals and is two behind Alexandra Ciabattoni's 48 steals in the 2013-14 season.
 
SEASON STEALS
Rk.           Player                                      Stl            Games    Year        
1.             Kesha Buckner                        68            26            2014-15
2.             Bria DeGrate                           66            29            2016-17
3.             Satoria Bell                             62            29            2011-12
4.             Bria DeGrate                           61            31            2018-19
5.             Rhea Codio                              54            27            2010-11
6.             Tasha Cannon                         52            29            2011-12
7.             Alexandra Ciabattoni              48            27            2013-14
8.             Maddie Spagnola                   46            25            2021-23
9.             Shaunice Robinson                 44            27            2015-16
10.           Tasha Cannon                          42            27            2010-11
                Kaitlyn Potter                          42            28            2019-20
 
Spagnola's single-season assist and steals averages would both rank in the top ten in program history if the season ended today.
 
SHE'S GOT COMPANY
Carissa Beck is not the only Jet who is challenging single-season 3-point records this year.  Maddie Spagnola is also making her way up the season 3-point list.  After last week, Beck is sixth with 52 3-pointers this season passing her 51 3-pointers from a year ago.  Spagnola is just one behind her in a tie for 10^th place with Rainey Nickel who nailed 47 in the 2009-10 season.  Beck and Spagnola passed Brianna Caldwell and Bria DeGrate to earn their spots in the record book.
 
SEASON 3PT FIELD GOALS MADE
Rk.           Player                                      3PTM      Games    Year        
1.             Kaitlyn Potter                          106          31            2018-19
2.             Kaitlyn Potter                          90            28            2019-20
3.             Brianna Caldwell                     75            26            2014-15
4.             Rhea Codio                              71            27            2010-11
5.             Cheniqwa Banks                     57            27            2012-13
6.             Cheniqwa Banks                     56            27            2013-14
7.             Carissa Beck                           51            28            2021-22
8.             Bria DeGrate                           50            29            2016-17
                Maddie Spagnola                   50            27            2022-23
10.           Carissa Beck                           49            25            2022-23
 
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 the Bearcats and 0-4 in the postseason with an 0-3 record in the KCAC Tournament and an 0-1 record in the NAIA Tournament.
 
BRINGING UP THE BEARCATS
Austin Meyer has led the Northwest women's basketball program for the past four seasons but has been a Bearcat for far longer.  Prior to taking over the program in March of 2018, Meyer served for a decade as an assistant for Bearcat men's basketball starting in 2008.  As women's head coach, Meyer started the season with a 37-50 record as women's coach with a 26-48 MIAA mark.  Last season, Meyer engineered the biggest turnaround in win total in over a decade leading the program to its first winning record since the 2012-13 season.  While a member of the men's basketball staff, Northwest Missouri won an average of 21.5 games per year and the 2017 national title.  As lead recruiter for the men's program, Meyer was on the bench for six MIAA championships and four MIAA Tournament titles.  Meyer is one of the all-time greats at the school as a player after scoring nearly 1,300 career points for the 'Cats and graduating as the program's all-time career leader in 3-pointers after lettering all four years as a Bearcat from 2002-06.  He then spent two seasons as a graduate assistant under coach Steve Tappmeyer before starting full-time two years later. 
 
Meyer is 4-0 against the Jets in his tenure in Maryville and 0-1 in the MIAA Tournament.
 
BRINGING THEIR 'A' GAME

• Senior Britney Ho is third in the MIAA in scoring at 17.5 ppg.
• Ho ranks fifth in the league in shooting percentage at 49.7%.
• Senior Carissa Beck is tied for sixth in the conference with 1.9 3-point field goals per game.
• Graduate Maddie Spagnola is tied for ninth in the MIAA in assists averaging 3.4 apg.

 
NU STATS N' STREAKS

• Sophomore Lauryn Dubbert has scored in double-figures in back-to-back games for the Jets.
• Britney Ho picked up her seventh double-double of the season on Senior Day against the Bronchos.
• Ho has dumped in at least 20 points in four of her last five games.
• It was her fourth game of the season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
• Amiya Josey scored a career high 11 points against Central Oklahoma.
• Riley Rottinghaus matched career highs with five rebounds and two blocks at Missouri Western last week.  She scored a season-high five points in the same game.
• The Jets won four of six games down the stretch to secure their first-ever MIAA Tournament bid.
• Valeriya Lioukina was scoreless for the first time in her Jet career on Saturday in eight minutes of action.
• In MIAA action, NU is 11^th offensively scoring 59.0 ppg.
• The Jets rank 12^th defensively allowing 73.5 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.
• The Jets have secured their first 10-win season since 2019-20 when NU finished 11-17 while going 6-13 in its first year in the MIAA.
• Newman returns 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 Johnsons are 1-1 on Senior Day in their Newman career.
• Newman's No. 9 seed will be their lowest in program history going into a postseason tournament.
• The Jets are 0-3 all-time in the postseason as the lower seed.

 
COMING ATTRACTIONS
With a win, the Jets will take on the top-seeded Nebraska-Kearney Lopers in the quarterfinals at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.  The Lopers won their first MIAA regular season championship by defeating Fort Hays State on Saturday.  The Lopers finished 27-3 overall with a 20-2 MIAA record.  The Lopers swept the Jets in two meetings 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)
Week 8:  Brooke Littrell (3) – Central Missouri (3)
Week 9:  Brooke Littrell (4) – Central Missouri (4)
Week 10:  Brionna Budgetts – Missouri Western
Week 11:  Katie Wagner (2) – Fort Hays State (2)
Week 12:  Brionna Budgetts (2) – Missouri Western (2)
Week 13:  Tre'Zure Jobe – Emporia State
Week 14:  Brooke Littrell (5) – Central Missouri (5)
Week 15:  Harper Schreiner – Pittsburg State
 
2023 MIAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE
Wednesday, March 1 – First Round
6:00 p.m. | Women's Game 1 | No. 8 Northwest Missouri vs. No. 9 Newman
8:15 p.m. | Women's Game 2 | No. 7 Emporia State vs. No. 10 Central Oklahoma
 
Thursday, March 2 – Quarterfinals
6:00 p.m. | Women's Game 3 | No. 1 Nebraska Kearney vs. Winner of Women's Game 1
8:15 p.m. | Women's Game 4 | No. 2 Central Missouri vs. Winner of Women's Game 2
 
Friday, March 3 – Quarterfinals
6:00 p.m. | Women's Game 5 | No. 4 Pittsburg State vs. No. 5 Missouri Southern
8:15 p.m. | Women's Game 6 | No. 3 Missouri Western vs. No. 6 Fort Hays State
 
Saturday, March 4 – Semifinals
6:00 p.m. | Women's Game 7 | Winner of Women's Game 3 vs. Winner of Women's Game 5
8:15 p.m. | Women's Game 8 | Winner of Women's Game 4 vs. Winner of Women's Game 6
 
Sunday, March 5 – Championship
3:30 p.m. | Women's Game 9 | Winner of Women's Game 7 vs. Winner of Women's Game 8 
 
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