| Newman Jets Men's Basketball News 2006-07
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Newman men finish season with 71-57 win over York
Saturday, Feb. 17 - The Newman men closed out the 2006-07 season with a 71-57 win over York College on Saturday in Fugate Gymnasium.
“It was just a fun night,” Newman Coach Mark Potter said. “If you can win the last one, it’s always fun. Defensively, I thought we played a pretty solid game.”
Newman led 29-24 at half and never relinquished the lead in the second half. York did manage to get within 62-57 with two minutes to play, but Aaron Carter hit a 3-point basket from the right wing and on the next possession, scored in the paint to push the lead back to 10 for the Jets, who ended the game on a 9-0 run.
“At that point, he really put a dagger in the situation,” Potter said of Carter’s late baskets.
Carter led Newman with 21 points in the game. Fellow seniors Rick Stanton and Hunter Spencer closed out their careers by scoring 16 and 14 points, respectively. Darus Bowman scored 17 to lead York, which shot just 36 percent from the floor.
Newman, which is in its first season as a provisional member of NCAA Division II, will get no postseason. The Jets, who were 6-15 after losing six straight, rebounded to win five of their final seven games to finish the season 11-17.
“That’s what makes me really proud of these guys,” Potter said. “Instead of going south, so to speak, they went the other direction. That shows their true character and they are to be commended for who they are as people.”
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Jets battle No. 1-ranked Bellevue, but come up short in 73-64 loss
Friday, Feb. 16 - The Newman men battled Bellevue to the end Friday in Fugate Gymnasium, but came up just short in a 73-64 loss to the Bruins, who are ranked No. 1 in the NAIA Division II national poll.
Bellevue sprinted to a 19-10 advantage at the start of the game, but Newman battled back to keep the game close, and cut the deficit to three at halftime, 39-36. The Jets would take a 42-41 lead on a basket by Rick Stanton with 16:44 left to play. Bellevue answered with a 5-0 run and would not trail again, but Newman kept the game close, getting within one point on three occasions, the latest after a basket by Hunter Spencer made the score 63-62 with 4:07 left. Bellevue would outscore the Jets 8-2 over the final four minutes to stretch the final margin of nine, matching the Bruins largest lead of the game.
"I felt we were as good as we could be tonight," Newman Coach Mark Potter said. "We executed really well until the two-minute mark. I thought we had some really good looks that just didn't go down."
Spencer led Newman with 19 points, while Stanton and Aaron Carter each scored 12 points. John Gray led Bellevue with 19 and Bryce Johnson added 15 for the Bruins.
With the loss, Newman falls to 10-17 on the season and will finish its season Saturday evening at 5 p.m. against York College. Bellevue improves to 27-1, running its winning streak to 13 games.
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Jets survive late run to finish season sweep of Oklahoma Wesleyan, 72-68
Tuesday, Feb. 13 - The Newman men survived a barrage of 3-point shooting late in the game to leave Bartlesville with a 72-68 win over Oklahoma Wesleyan on Tuesday.
The Jets led by three at the half but quickly stretched the gap to double digits, leading by at least 10 for most of the second half. Newman still held a 13-point lead with 1:08 left to play, but Oklahoma Wesleyan got hot at the end, hitting four 3-point baskets in the final 68 seconds. THe Jets, however, were able to seal the game with free throw shooting.
Newman was led by Lucas Morgan, who scored 14 points, hitting three of five 3-point attempts. Mark Phipps scored 12 and Rick Stanton had 11 for the Jets, while Tommy Brumbelow added 10. Hunter Spencer had 10 rebounds, helping the Jets win the battle on the boards by a 43-33 margin.
The win puts the Jets into double digits in victories for the season with a 10-16 record. It is Newman's fourth win in the past five games, with the only loss coming in overtime to Haskell on Saturday. Newman will close out its season this weekend with a tough doubleheader, facing nationally-ranked Bellevue on Friday and York on Saturday.
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Newman men see three-game winning streak end with loss at Haskell
Saturday, Feb. 10 - The Newman men saw their three-game winning streak come to an end with a 97-90 overtime loss to Haskell Indian Nations University on Saturday in Lawrence.
Newman led 44-32 at half and built the lead to 46-32 after an Aaron Carter dunk to begin the second half. Haskell, however, went on a 15-3 run over the next eight minutes, getting within two at 49-47. The Indians took their first lead of the game on a basket by Joe Sanders with 8:36 remaining in regulation that made the score 58-56.
Trailing by seven at 65-58 with 5:38 in regulation, it was Newman’s turn to make a run, scoring eight points in a row to take a lead. After Tommy Brumbelow scored inside with 2:19 left, the Jets led 70-67.
In another turnaround, Haskell would take a 74-71 lead late in the game. It took buzzer beating 3-point basket from the left win by Hunter Spencer to send the game into overtime.
In the extra period, Newman would lead 85-84 with 1:45 left following two Spencer free throws, but a 3-pointer by Wacy Weeks triggered a 9-0 Haskell run that put the game away.
“We knew they were going to make a push,” Newman Coach Mark Potter said. “No matter what defense we tried, we couldn’t get stops when it counted and that’s what disappoints me the most.”
Weeks scored a game-high 28 points, while teammate Kirk Brown scored 24. Newman had six players in double digits, led by Spencer, who had 19. Warren Boldrini scored 15 points.
Haskell sweeps the season series from Newman, winning both games after trailing by double digits in the second half. The Indians improve to 6-20 on the season while Newman falls to 9-16.
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Newman men improve record with win at Peru State, 73-68
Friday, Feb. 9 - The Newman men pushed their winning streak to three games with a 73-68 victory Friday night at Peru State (Neb.) College.
The Jets led 27-25 at halftime before pulling away in the second half. Newman shot 56 percent from the floor over the final 20 minutes and hit 15 of 19 shots from the free throw line, while losing just six turnovers. Meanwhile, the Jets allowed Peru State to hit just 36 percent from the field.
"The second half was one of the better halves we've played this season," coach Mark Potter said. "We shot the ball well and were patient when we needed to be. We shot free throws well and came away with a win.
"I was very pleased with the way we played on the road. We played with a real road warrior mentality."
Hunter Spencer led Newman offensively and defensively, scoring a team-high 20 points with four rebounds and two assists, while also holding Peru State's leading scorer to just six points, which came on two late 3-point baskets.
Newman improves to 9-15 on the season, and will play Saturday in Lawrence against Haskell.
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Carter's jumper leads Newman men past Central Christian, 57-56
Tuesday, Feb. 6 - There was plenty of drama to go around in Fugate Gymnasium on Tuesday night. After the Newman women beat Central Christian by one point in the closing seconds, the men duplicated the feat, getting a basket from Aaron Carter with 7.7 seconds left to lift the Jets past Central Christian by a 57-56 score.
Newman trailed 56-55 after Central's Matt Lock scored on a layup with 30 seconds left in the game. Newman called timeout to set up a play, designed to go inside to Rick Stanton. He was closely guarded, but that allowed Carter to drive the lane, pulling up from five feet out and sinking the short jumper while getting fouled. He missed the following free throw, but Central's desperation shot at the end failed to draw iron.
"It's been a tough year and we've lost a handful of games like this," Newman Coach Mark Potter said. "To come back and get the job done and find a way to win is a tribute to our character. We responded well tonight."
Central led 37-27 in the second half after consecutive 3-pointers by Kevin Malone. With 9:34 left, the Tigers still led 49-42 after a basket by Patrick Green. But from that point, the Newman defense stiffened, holding Central to just a single free throw over the next 7:03. By the time Central scored again, Newman had ripped off an 11-1 run to take a 53-50 lead with three minutes to play.
Newman was led by Carter, who had 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
"It was a typical senior effort," Potter said of Carter. "He almost willed us to win this game. That basket was huge, just huge. He went in with the mentality that he was going to score and they weren't going to stop him."
Mark Phipps had 11 and Rick Stanton added 10 points for the Jets, all while attracting extra attention from the Central defenders, which opened up the perimeter for the Jets. Malone had 15 points for Central to lead all scorers, while Green and Louis Collins each had 10 points for the Tigers.
Newman is now 8-15 on the season, and has won two straight after snapping a six-game losing streak. The Jets will be on the road this weekend to play at Peru State on Friday and against Haskell on Saturday.
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Hall of Famers inspire Newman men to big win over Oklahoma Wesleyan
Saturday, Feb. 3 - Playing in front of one of the more successful teams in school history did plenty to fire up the Newman men’s basketball team.
Members of the 1971 men’s basketball team, which was Newman’s first NAIA national tournament qualifier, were in attendance to be inducted into the Newman Athletic Hall of Fame at halftime.
That group was known for their tenacious defense, and the current group of Jets played up to that reputation, holding Oklahoma Wesleyan to just 13 first half points on their way to a 59-41 victory Saturday in Fugate Gymnasium.
“We wanted to show that we still have the kind of pride they had,” said freshman Tommy Brumbelow, who led the team with eight rebounds while scoring 10 points. “Most of us thought about it and that was our main goal, to play good, hard defense and share the ball offensively. We came in knowing what we had to do, and everybody was on the same page.”
Newman came out of the gates hot, pounding the ball inside to Rick Stanton, who scored the first eight points of the contest on his way to a game-high 15 points. It took Wesleyan more than five minutes to score its first basket of the game.
Leading 14-9, Newman scored 14 consecutive points, highlighted by two buckets from Brandon Brigham and a 3-point basket by Sam Spanich, on their way to a 30-13 lead at the half.
Newman kept up the defensive pressure in the second half, building a lead that would stretch to 23 points at 54-31 after consecutive baskets by Brumbelow with less than four minutes to play.
Oklahoma Wesleyan would score 10 points in the final three minutes, but the Jets still posted their best defensive effort in the season and broke a six-game losing streak.
“I’m really happy for the team,” Potter said. “It’s been a tough road, but the kids worked their tails off through the process. I thought we were really good defensively. We played a lot tougher.
“It was a really neat night and I’m elated to get a win and play as well as we did.”
Newman is now 7-15 on the season and will finish a four-game homestand on Tuesday against Central Christian.
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Ozarks beats Newman men, 78-61, to sweep Jets
Friday, Feb. 2 - All-American Michael Bonaparte had 32 points and 12 rebounds to lead College of the Ozarks past Newman by a 78-61 score Friday night in Fugate Gymnasium.
Bonaparte, who was held to just 12 points when the two teams met in Branson two weeks ago, made just 12 of 22 shots, but hit two 3-point baskets and was 6 of 8 from the free throw line.
Newman fell behind 19-7 in the game and trailed 44-30 at halftime. Ozarks would stretch the lead to 20 points twice in the second half. Newman did get as close as 12 points with three minutes to play.
Newman was led by Warren Boldrini, who scored 16 points. Aaron Carter had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds, while Cyle Barnwell made 4 of 9 3-point attempts and finished with 10 points.
Ozarks is now 15-8 on the season and extends its winning streak to seven games. With the loss, Newman drops to 6-15 on the season with its sixth straight defeat. The Jets will play Oklahoma Wesleyan at home on Saturday.
At halftime, Newman retired the jersey of basketball player Dr. Mike Bayer, who played from 1969-1972 and still holds the school record for points (2,117) and rebounds (933) in a career. It is the first student-athlete jersey the school has retired and only the second overall (baseball coach Paul Sanagorski is the other).
Bayer and the 1971 men's basketball team that reached the NAIA national tournament will also be among the charter inductees into the Newman athletic hall of fame, and will be honored at halftime of the men's game against Oklahoma Wesleyan.
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Newman men fall to No. 9 Park
Tuesday, Jan. 30 - Park, ranked No. 9 in the latest NAIA Division I national poll, used a 19-3 run in the second half to pull away from Newman on Tuesday night in Fugate Gymnasium.
Newman trailed 41-34 at the half, but cut the gap to two points early in the second half at 43-41. Park responded with a 19-3 run to push the lead back to 18 and put the game out of reach.
“There’s a reason they are ranked No. 9 in the nation,” Newman coach Mark Potter said. “We didn’t handle the pressure well in the second half. We made some mistakes defensively and then turned the ball over. We’ve made a habit of having too many lulls like that this season.
“But I’m proud of the way the kids didn’t hang their heads and battled back. I’m not into moral victories, but the kids made strides. They got better tonight. I’m hoping this weekend we can get this thing turned around.”
Newman’s Hunter Spencer led all scorers with 22 points, hitting eight of 13 shots from the field. Rick Stanton added 11 and Aaron Carter scored 10 for the Jets. Kevin Nelson and Nick Burton each scored 19 for Park, which improves to 20-4 on the season.
Newman (6-14) continues a four-game home stand this weekend with a home game against defending NAIA national champion College of the Ozarks on Friday and a game against Oklahoma Wesleyan on Saturday.
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Newman men drop close contest at York
Saturday, Jan. 27 - The Newman men battled to the end, but lost a close contest at York College by a 67-65 count.
Newman trailed by six at the break, but kept the game tight to the finish.
Lucas Morgan led the Jets with 17 points, while Rick Stanton had 15 and Aaron Carter added 11. Carter had a double-double on the night, grabbing 15 rebounds as well.
Newman is now 6-13, having lost four in a row. The Jets will attempt to right the ship on Friday, when they play at home against College of the Ozarks at 7:30 p.m. on Friday.
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Newman men fall at Bellevue
Friday, Jan. 26 - The Bellevue Bruins, ranked sixth in the NAIA national poll, played up to its billing on Friday night, handling the Newman men by a 96-49 score.
“They are a good team,” Assistant coach Chris Popp said. “They were a really good team tonight. They played their best; we played our worst.”
Newman trailed 52-17 at half and shot just 35 percent from the floor in the game. Bellevue, meanwhile shot 61 percent from the field.
Newman was led by Tommy Brumbelow. The freshman from Derby had 12 points and five rebounds for the Jets.
Newman falls to 6-12 on the season. The Jets will play Saturday at York (Neb.).
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Newman men lose big lead and game to Haskell
Tuesday, Jan. 23 - The Newman men jumped out to a 10-0 lead over Haskell Indian Nations University on Tuesday at Fugate Gymnasium, but couldn't hold on at the end, as the Jets fell 83-78.
Newman held Haskell scoreless for the first three minutes of the game and still held a double-digit lead at halftime, 39-29. Haskell, however, switched to a 1-3-1 zone defense that stymied Newman in the second half, and Haskell came roaring back, taking a 51-50 lead with 12 minutes left in the contest.
Newman would regain the lead twice after that, the latest coming when Aaron Carter came up with a steal and a lay-up to put the Jets in front 67-66 with five minutes to play. But Haskell came right back to take the lead again, and was able to hold on at the end. Haskell hit 65 percent of its shots in the second half, including several long 3-pointers.
"Adversity is going to hit in every game, and when it hits, you have to handle it much better than we handled it tonight," Newman coach Mark Potter said. "You have to give them some credit, though because they hit some tough shots and gained confidence."
Newman's loss came despite a game-high 25 points by Lucas Morgan, who hit five 3-pointers. Carter added 15 points as the only other Jet in double digits. Haskell had five players in double digits.
The Jets are now 6-11 on the season with a weekend road trip to Nebraska looming, as Newman will play at 6th ranked Bellevue University on Friday and at York College on Saturday.
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Newman men fall to defending NAIA champions College of the Ozarks
Friday, Jan. 19 - The Newman men couldn't overcome a slow start Friday night in Point Lookout, Mo., falling to the defending NAIA national champions by a 69-52 score.
The Jets fell behind 27-12 in the first half on Friday, but managed to close the gap to six points by halftime.
Ozarks quickly built the lead in the second half, taking advantage of three Newman turnovers to push the margin back to 18 points. Newman would get no closer than eight over the remainder of the game.
Newman lost despite holding All-American candidate Michael Bonaparte to just 12 points, which is half of his season average.
“I was proud of the fact that we did a great job on their All-American; defensively, we played well enough to get a win down here,” coach Mark Potter said. “But offensively, you can’t shoot 34 percent and turn it over 16 times and win on the road. It seemed like it was an uphill battle all night.”
Aaron Carter led Newman with 13, Mark Phipps had 12 and Hunter Spencer added 10 for the Jets.
Newman is now 6-10 on the season and will continue its weekend road trip tomorrow with a game in Bartlesville against Oklahoma Wesleyan.
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Newman men withstand late rally to beat Central Christian, 68-63
Tuesday, Jan. 16 - The Newman men withstood a furious rally in the closing minutes to secure a 68-63 win over Central Christian College in McPherson.
The Jets had a 17-point lead with eight minutes to go, but Central Christian hit a 3-point basket to start its rally, getting as close as three points with 17 seconds to go.
“They made it tough on us, but we found a way to get it done on the road,” Newman coach Mark Potter said. “It is good to win one on the road, especially with a little adversity down the stretch.”
The first half was a defensive struggle, as the Jets held a 28-22 lead at halftime despite shooting just 31 percent from the field. Newman then got hot from the field, making 58 percent from the field in the second half to build its big lead.
The Jets, meanwhile, continued their tough defense into the second half, shutting down Central until the Tigers made 10 of their final 12 shots.
“The first 34 minutes were as good as we’ve played on that end of the floor,” Potter said.
Rick Stanton had one of his best games of the season, making eight of his 12 shots to score 17 points. Hunter Spencer scored 18 points, hitting some big free throws late to help Newman hold on to the win. Lucas Morgan scored 10 points for Newman while Mark Phipps had 10 rebounds, including four offensive boards, for the Jets.
Newman is now 6-9 on the season. The Jets will face a tough challenge this weekend when they play defending NAIA national champion College of the Ozarks on Friday. They will also play at Oklahoma Wesleyan on Saturday. Newman will return home on Tuesday, Jan. 23 to face Haskell, a game that has been rescheduled from Jan. 13.
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Newman men play well in 77-71 loss at No. 17 Park
Saturday, Jan. 6 - The Newman men played well, but couldn’t hold off No. 17 Park in a 77-71 loss Saturday in Parkville, Mo.
The Jets jumped out to a nine-point lead early in the game on the shooting of Lucas Morgan, who made three 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the contest. Park made a run late in the first half to erase that deficit and jump in front, leading 38-35 at halftime.
The Jets kept the game close, trailing by two points with just 15 seconds left. Park hit a layup and made two free throws in the closing seconds to stretch the final margin to six, which matched the Pirates’ largest lead of the game.
“We played one of our most competitive games of the year,” Newman coach Mark Potter said. “I was extremely happy with the way we went about our business.”
Aaron Carter led Newman in scoring, with 17 points, and in rebounding, with nine boards. Morgan had 15 points and six assists, while Hunter Spencer added 14 points for the Jets.
“I was very proud of the effort from start to finish,” Potter said. “If we play like that from here on out, we’re going to have a chance to have a lot of fun.”
Newman is now 5-9 on the year and will next face Peru State (Neb.) at home on Friday. The Jets will also play Haskell at home on Saturday.
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Newman defense struggles in 86-78 loss at Bethany
Tuesday, Jan. 2 - The Newman men couldn’t maintain the momentum they had built before the holiday break, falling to Bethany College 86-78 in Lindsborg.
The Jets, who had won two straight games before taking a 16-day break, struggled defensively against Bethany. The Swedes shot 58 percent from the field in the second half and 54 percent for the game.
“We were a little lethargic. We were not quite energized the way we needed to be to get some stops,” coach Mark Potter said. “We made way too many mental mistakes defensively and that’s the disappointing thing.”
Aaron Carter led Newman with 16 points. Warren Boldrini scored 15 and Hunter Spencer scored 13 while handing out five assists and nabbing six steals. Tommy Brumbelow had 10 points and four rebounds for the Jets.
Newman is now 5-8 on the season and will next play on Saturday at Park University. The Pirates are 12-4 on the season and ranked No. 14 in the NAIA national poll. Among Park’s victories this season is a 103-99 win over NCAA Division I Missouri-Kansas City.
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Newman men knock off Northwestern Oklahoma State, 72-60
Saturday, Dec. 16 - The Newman men jumped out to a 12-2 lead and never looked back on their way to a 72-60 win over Northwestern Oklahoma State in Fugate Gymnasium. The win is the second in a row for the Jets and also avenges a loss a year ago to the Rangers.
“I’m really proud of the guys,” coach Mark Potter said. “Northwestern is a very good basketball team. Our guys just came out and attacked and did a heck of a job.”
Newman scored first on a 3-point basket by Lucas Morgan, and led 12-2 after a basket by Hunter Spencer. The Jets never trailed, leading 37-27 at half and building a 19-point lead at one point in the second half.
Spencer led the way for Newman, pouring in 24 points. Mark Phipps scored 11 and Rick Stanton added 10 for the Jets.
“Hunter has been our leader all year long, but he’s also taken the team on his shoulders a little bit offensively in the last three or four games,” Potter said. “Tonight, he was absolutely going to refuse to lose.”
Stanton and Hunter each had seven rebounds for Newman, which held a 38-33 edge in rebounding over a Northwestern team that had been outrebounding its opponents by 12 per game.
Newman also held Northwestern’s leading scorer, Shane Hanson, to just four points.
The Jets, which broke a three-game losing streak with a 96-70 win at Manhattan Christian College last week, have now won consecutive games for the first time this season.
“That’s two really good games we’ve played in a row,” Potter said. “We’re playing a lot more consistent.”
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Big run sends Newman past Manhattan Christian, 96-70
Wednesday, Dec. 6 - The Newman men used a big run at the end of the first half to put away Manhattan Christian College, 96-70, on Wednesday evening in Manhattan.
The game was close for the first 12 minutes, with Newman leading 23-21. But over the last eight minutes of the first half, the Jets went on a 27-6 run. The Jets led 50-27 at the break.
“For the first 10 or 12 minutes of the first half, we struggled a little to stop them,” head coach Mark Potter said. “Those last eight minutes of the first half were a lot of fun.”
Newman kept it up in the second half, leading the Crusaders by as many as 34 points.
“It was all around a good effort,” Potter said. “Any road win is a good win, and it was a win we needed.”
Cyle Barnwell led Newman with a season high 19 points. It was also a career-high output for the sophomore from Emporia, who started the season playing with Newman’s JV squad.
“Cyle has been coming on strong and was huge tonight,” Potter said. “He had 19 points in 18 minutes, so that’s getting it done.”
He was 7-8 from the field, including 5-6 from 3-point range. Hunter Spencer and Aaron Carter scored 16 points a piece and Warren Boldrini added 11. Carter led the team with seven rebounds. Gordon Strom led Manhattan with 17 points. Newman held Manhattan Christian's leading scorer, Ryan Kluttz to just four points and 0/11 from the field.
Newman is now 4-7 on the season and will have 10 days off before playing Northwestern Oklahoma State at home on December 16.
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Newman men see lead slip away in loss to St. Edwards
Saturday, Dec. 2 - The Newman men led for 35 minutes against St. Edwards University, but struggled in the last five minutes, falling 86-74 to the Hilltoppers on Saturday night in the second day of the SBU Classic in Bolivar, Mo.
"It's hard to explain," coach Mark Potter said. "It's a shame, because for 35 minutes the kids played their hearts out and they have nothing to show for it."
St. Edwards scored the first five points of the game, but Newman would lead from then on out. The Jets led 40-37 at halftime and would lead by 10 points with eleven minutes to go. But St. Edwards stormed back, hitting a 3-pointer to go up 73-70 with less than five minutes to go. Seven turnovers within the final five minutes allowed St. Edwards to not only take the lead, but stretch the final margin to twelve points. Newman had 25 turnovers in the game.
"Our kids just got sped up when the game was on the line," said Potter. "There are a lot of positives from this game; the kids played their tails off. Our guys just have to believe they can do it when the game is on the line."
Hunter Spencer led Newman in scoring with 20 points, including hitting four 3-pointers. Aaron Carter added 15 while Warren Boldrini scored 12. Carter and freshman Tommy Brumbelow each had six rebounds.
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Newman men fall to Southwest Baptist in first day of SBU Classic
Friday, Dec. 1 - Southwest Baptist University raced to a 52-24 halftime advantage en route to defeating Newman 100-66 on Friday night in the first round of the SBU Classic in Bolivar, Mo.
Newman scored first in the game and held a 4-2 lead early on, but over the next seven minutes the Bearcats would shoot out to a 25-point lead. The Bearcats shot 56 percent from the field in the first half.
"They really shot the ball well from the perimeter," head coach Mark Potter said. "It seemed like they couldn't miss and most of those shots were from 15 feet and out."
Southwest Baptist, which won the MIAA and played in the NCAA DII tournament last year, had six players score in double digits. The Bearcats are now 4-2 on the season. Newman is now 3-6 on the year. The Jets were led in scoring by Warren Boldrini's 12 points.
"They just have too many weapons," Potter said. "They had four inches on us at every position. We were outmanned, but it was good for our kids to play against that kind of competition."
Newman was originally scheduled to face St. Edwards University from Texas. Poor weather conditions however forced a rescheduling of the tournament, pitting the Jets against the host school on Friday instead of Saturday.
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Newman men suffer first overtime loss
Monday, Nov. 27 - The Newman men lost their first overtime game of the season, falling 75-73 to Sterling College on Monday in Fugate Gymnasium.
Newman had won its previous two overtime games, edging Bethel 75-43 just two days earlier and defeating archrival Friends 83-81 on Nov. 14. But even though the Jets held a three-point advantage in the overtime, they were unable to hold on to the lead, and Sterling escaped with the win.
At halftime, it did not appear the game would last past regulation. Newman had taken control of the contest with a 17-2 run over the final 10 minutes of the first half, and would lead by as many as 18 points at 41-23. But Sterling surged back, tying the game and sending it into overtime.
Sterling's Josh Lavere scored a game-high 31 points. Mac Stephenson added 19 for the Warriors. Hunter Spencer led Newman with 16 points, while Trent Watts had 15 despite missing much of the second half with a foot injury.
Newman is now 3-5 on the season with two losses to Sterling. The Jets will next play on Friday against St. Edwards, an NCAA Division II member that is a fellow member of the Heartland Conference. The two teams will play on a neutral floor at the Southwest Baptist Tournament in Bolivar, Mo.
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Newman men get overtime win at Bethel
Saturday, Nov. 25 - Newman’s Rick Stanton had a career night Saturday at Bethel, leading the Jets to a 75-74 win over the Threshers in overtime.
Stanton had 21 points and 12 rebounds for Newman, both of which are career highs for the senior from Stockton, Mo. His performance made the difference on a night when Newman struggled defensively, especially in the first half.
Newman had jumped out to a 10-point lead just three minutes into the game, but hit a dry spell midway through the first period. Bethel took advantage, going on a 13-0 run to regain the lead. The Threshers held a 40-35 advantage at the break.
Newman allowed just 27 points in the second half, forcing the game to overtime. Once there, Trent Watts and Aaron Carter scored key baskets, and with 12 seconds left, Wichita Northwest product Andy Hill made a free throw, which ended up being the difference.
“Our defense in the first half was just pitiful,” coach Mark Potter said. “In the second half, we just looked like a different basketball team. We were much better defensively and made some key stops down the stretch that gave us a chance to win the game.”
In addition to Stanton’s 21, Watts added 13 points for Newman, which is now 3-4 on the season. The Jets will next play at home on Monday against Sterling College. Newman will try to avenge an 85-76 loss to Sterling on Nov. 17.
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Faubion's 34 points leads Kansas Wesleyan past Newman
Tuesday, Nov. 21 - Marcus Faubion scored a career-high 34 points to lead Kansas Wesleyan past Newman University by an 87-72 score Tuesday night at Muir Gym in Salina.
It was Faubion who keyed a 19-2 run for the Coyotes that turned a tie game into a 17-point Wesleyan advantage at the break.
Following a Newman 3-pointer by Andy Hill, the game was tied 22-22 midway through the first half. But then Newman went nearly six minutes without a basket. Meanwhile, Wesleyan scored 15 unanswered points as part of a 19-2 run that helped the Coyotes take a 46-29 halftime lead. Faubion was a big part of that stretch, scoring 15 of his 20 first-half points.
“We hung around early, but the problem with those first 22 points is that half were lay-ups and half were threes,” Head Coach Mark Potter said. “For a while, we couldn’t do anything right and they did everything right – and they are a pretty good team,”
In the second half, Newman would climb back into the game, outscoring Wesleyan 17-3 to get within 10 with 10:24 left. The Jets had two chances to cut deeper into the deficit, but missed a three-pointer both times.
“Had one of those shots gone, who knows what happens tonight,” Potter said. “But it didn’t.”
Then Faubion hit another 3-pointer and the Jets would not seriously challenge again. That didn’t mean that Newman gave up, however.
“The kids could have laid down and checked it in,” Potter said. “I’m pleased they battled their tails off for all 20 minutes of the second half.”
Newman was led by Hunter Spencer, who scored 14. Warren Boldrini added 10 points, while Lucas Morgan scored nine. Newman is now 2-4 now, including an 0-3 mark on the road.
“To go on the road takes a certain mentality,” Potter said. “We’re getting closer, but we can not have spurts like we had in that first half. We’re getting better. Some times it’s hard to see on nights like tonight. We’ve got to continue to mature to get through that adversity.”
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Newman men come from behind to top Tabor
Saturday, Nov. 18 - The Newman men overcame a nine-point deficit in the second half to beat Tabor 79-71 on Saturday in the second day of the Sterling Classic.
Trailing by nine with nine minutes to go, Newman reversed course and went on an 18-2 run. Aaron Carter hit a 3-pointer to start the rally, then Lucas Morgan stole an inbounds pass and hit another 3-pointer to really stoke the Jets.
From that point, Newman held on to the lead. The Jets weren’t great from the free throw line, making just 20 of 33 from the charity stripe, but made enough to secure the win.
“It was an effort thing. We just had a bunch of guys battling their tails off down the stretch to get a win,” Newman coach Mark Potter said. “They were flying around having a lot of fun. We played through a little adversity.
Carter led Newman with 18 points, one of four Jets who scored in double digits.
“Aaron has been an incredible leader,” Potter said. “He made some big shots against Friends and tried to step up and put the team on his shoulders.”
Trent Watts had 13, freshman Tommy Brumbelow had 12 and Hunter Spencer scored 10. Newman shot 46 percent from the floor for the game.
Newman also outrebounded Tabor 45-34, a stat even more impressive considering Tabor had four more rebounds than the Jets did at halftime.
“It was an effort thing,” Potter said. “To outrebound somebody by 15 in the second half is pretty good.”
Newman’s win over Tabor avenges a season-opening loss to the BlueJays. The Jets are now 2-3 on the season and will have another chance to avenge an earlier loss when they travel to Salina to face Kansas Wesleyan on Tuesday. The Coyotes defeated the Jets 61-57 a week ago.
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Newman can't keep momentum in loss to Sterling
Tuesday, Nov. 14 - Any momentum gained from a big win over arch-rival Friends on Tuesday night could not be carried over into Friday night’s game at Sterling, as the Newman men fell by an 86-75 score.
Newman was led by Aaron Carter’s 21 points. Trent Watts had 15 points, while Rick Stanton scored 10 while also grabbing a team-high nine rebounds. The Jets outrebounded Sterling by a 42-40 margin, but could not come up with enough defensive stops.
Newman tried to come back late in the game, cutting the gap to six points in the final minutes. But Sterling shot 41 free throws in the contest, converting on those attempts from the charity stripe to hold off the Jets.
The Jets will play again tomorrow night, facing Tabor. The two teams met in the season opener on Nov. 7, with Tabor pulling out a 65-63 victory in Hillsboro.
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Jets fly past Friends in overtime to reclaim Flying 54 Trophy
Tuesday, Nov. 14 - In the 55-game history of the Newman-Friends rivalry, it will be hard to find a contest that had the same intensity and excitement as the most recent version of the War on 54, which was played Tuesday night in Fugate Gymnasium at O’Shaughnessy Hall.
Newman finally took control of a back-and-forth game in overtime, grabbing an 83-80 win. Even at that, it wasn’t until Bryan Ross’ missed 3-pointer at the end of overtime that the Jets has secured the victory. The win gives Newman a 38-17 lead in the all-time series against Friends, including a 12-2 mark against the Falcons under current Head Coach Mark Potter.
“That’s as fun a small-college atmosphere for basketball as you can get,” Potter said. “Even if we had not won, it was still an incredible atmosphere. It doesn’t get any better than that. Both teams played their hearts out.”
Friends jumped out to a 10-2 lead, but Newman battled back, and with consecutive 3-pointers by Lucas Morgan, took a 21-17 lead with 8:21 left in the half. Aaron Carter scored on an offensive rebound at the end of the first half to put the Jets up 38-33, matching their largest lead of the game to that point.
Early in the second half, Newman would stretch its lead to eight at 44-36 following yet another 3-pointer by Morgan with 15:53 remaining. That’s when Friends came roaring back to take a lead of its own, building a seemingly insurmountable six-point advantage with just 1:53 to go in regulation.
Friends still led by four with 39.9 seconds to go, but Carter sank a 3-pointer from the left wing to get Newman within one at 72-71. Friends missed two free throws, and Newman’s Mark Phipps grabbed the rebound, but threw the ball right back to Friends’ Trent Barney.
“I thought that was a mistake that was going to cost us,” Potter said. “Thankfully, they missed a couple of free throws, but we still had to go make plays to get four points, and that’s what we did.”
Trailing by two after Barney made one of his two free throws, Newman’s Phipps gained a measure of redemption when he grabbed an offensive rebound and made a five-foot jump shot to tie the game with four seconds left. Friends’ Greg Carnell fired a 30-footer at the buzzer that hit off the back board and the front of the rim.
In the extra period, Newman jumped ahead 80-76 on a basket by Aaron Carter and free throws from Phipps and Hunter Spencer. When Carter grabbed an offensive rebound and stuck it in the basket, Newman led 82-77 with 1:18 left.
Friends would cut the gap to two at 82-80, but Carter sank one of two free throws with 15.9 seconds left for the final margin. Friends’ Bryan Ross attempted a game-tying shot from the right wing, but it was blocked by Newman’s Trent Watts. Ross got off another long attempt as time expired, but the ball bounced off the front of the rim to preserve the win for Newman.
“We’d lost two heartbreakers (65-63 at Tabor and 61-57 at home against Southwestern) and I knew we had to find a way to win,” Potter said. “We made some mistakes down the stretch, but we also made some plays at the end. We showed some poise, some toughness. They found a way to get it done at the end and I’m really proud of the guys.”
Carter led Newman with 21 points and had six rebounds. Freshman Tommy Brumbelow scored 18 points in just his third college game, getting several of those points in crunch time. Trent Watts had 13 points and nine rebounds. Lucas Morgan added 11 points and Mark Phipps scored nine points and ripped down 10 reounds.
Newman is now 1-2 on the season and will travel to Sterling for a tournament on Friday and Saturday. The Jets will face Sterling on Friday at 8 p.m. and Tabor on Saturday at 4 p.m. Friends, meanwhile, is now 2-2 on the season.
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Wesleyan scores final five points to defeat Newman by 61-57 score
Saturday, Nov. 11 - Kansas Wesleyan scored the final five points of the game to defeat Newman University 61-57 on Saturday night in O’Shaughnessy Hall.
Newman, which had trailed by as many as nine points, shot 54 percent from the field in the second half, coming all the way back to take a 57-56 lead with a minute left to go. But Kansas Wesleyan’s Anthony Smith hit a 3-point basket with 10 seconds left to give Wesleyan the lead.
The Jets were looking to tie or win the game, but turned the ball over which led to a Wesleyan layup for the final margin.
Anthony Smith led Wesleyan with 19 points. Faubion scored 19 and Trey Sims added 11 points, while leading all players with 10 rebounds. Trent Watts led Newman with 11 points, while Mark Phipps added 10 for the Jets.
Newman is now 0-2 on the season. The Jets will face arch-rival Friends at home at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night in the annual War on 54 contest.
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Newman falls to Tabor in season opener
Tuesday, Nov. 7 - Newman played hard, but fell to Tabor College, 65-63, last night in their opener in Hillsboro. There were a lot of questions marks for Newman entering their first game. With two of their top returners sitting out the year (Cole Elliott and Caleb Fine), it was clear that the Jets are searching for leadership. Returning starter, Trent Watts came out strong. After scoring the first bucket of the game, he followed up with a three pointer to give Newman a 7-3 lead. However, foul trouble followed. Not only was Watts limited to five minutes in the first half, Rick Stanton and Mark Phipps also battled foul trouble throughout the game.
There were a number of positives for Newman. They were able to win the rebounding battle 39-34, including 10 offensive rebounds. Rick Stanton showed that he could be a presence for the Jets inside, scoring a team and career high of 13 points. Newcomer, Warren Boldrini contributed 12 points to go with 3 assists and 3 steals; and Aaron Carter showed signs of having a breakout season, finishing with 10 pts, 8 boards and 2 steals.
The Jets will look for their first win against Kansas Wesleyan at home this Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
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