WICHITA - Men's Basketball opened the second half of their conference season against the Missouri Southern Lions on Thursday, and while the Jets made it a close contest for most of the game, the team could not hit any big shots late in the second half. 

This contest was vital to the Jets season as the Lions were just a few games ahead of Newman in the MIAA standings. 

The Jets once again opened the game in a big deficit, but found a way to come back. After the Lions started on a 8-0 run, Jacob Joe, Latik Murphy and Stevie Strong led the Jets back into the game, with each of them hitting several three pointers in the first half. 

Two back to back three pointers from Latik Murphy tied the game for Newman, as they searched for their first lead of the night. They would get the lead off a Sam Somerhalder layup, but quickly gave the lead back to Missouri Southern. 

The Lions had a six point advantage going into the half, but it felt like either team could take the game in the next half. 

Stevie Strong took the game into overdrive after going on a 8-0 run all by himself to give the Jets a two point lead. His run was halted by a Lions timeout, and from their the tide was turned once again. 

The closest the Jets would get to the lead would be seven points, as their shooting started to go cold late in the game. The Lions simply hit more shots when it mattered most and grew their lead to over 20 points. 

With his impressive opening to the second half, Stevie Strong finished with 15 points and 7 rebounds. Joe and Somerhalder also finished with 11 each. 

The Jets will host Pittsburg State on Saturday, in what will be the Jets penultimate Saturday home game.