Box Score

WICHITA, Kan. – A three-point barrage late in the first half Friday allowed Newman to break free from Missouri S&T, propelling the Jets to an 83-61 win in the Miners' season opener.

The Jets made nine three-point baskets in the first half, including four in the final 3:58 before the intermission, to help turn a two-point lead into an 11-point halftime advantage at 51-40.  Newman continued to shoot the ball well during the early stages of the second half as it was able to maintain its double figure lead throughout the final 20 minutes.

After falling behind early in the game, the Miners were able to tie the game at 10 on Tommy Pelczynski (Nashville, Ill./Nashville)'s layup with 15:22 remaining in the half.  S&T tied the game again at 18 on a dunk by Michael Jackson (Wichita, Kan./Wichita East) at the 12:06 mark and again at 19 when Nusrath Khan (Morton Grove, Ill./Maine East) hit the second of two free throws 22 seconds later.

Newman would regain a seven-point lead at 29-22 after a lay-in by Chuck Coley following a steal off an inbounds pass, but the Miners would score 10 of the next 15 points, getting a pair of baskets from Bryce Foster (Florissant, Mo./Hazelwood Central) and two from Westbrook along the way.

Khan made a pair of free throws at the 3:58 mark to cut the Jets' lead to 34-32, but back-to-back three-pointers by Connor Walker – among the five he made in the first half – extended the lead back to eight.  Another trey by Walker moments later gave Newman a 10-point lead and the margin would stay in double figures for the balance of the evening.

S&T played on even terms with the Jets for the first three and a half minutes of the second half, but a 13-4 spurt pushed the Newman lead to 20 and the Miners could not get any closer than 19 from that point on.

Foster led the Miners with 13 points, while Pelczynski finished with 12 and Jackson with 10; Jackson also had nine rebounds to lead the Miners in that department.  S&T made just 38.9 percent of its shots on the night and connected only of its 17 attempts from three-point range.

Newman, meanwhile, made 12 three-pointers in the game and finished at 46.9 percent from the floor.  Walker led all scorers in the contest with 20 points.

The Miners will face West Texas A&M Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in their final game of the Newman Conference Challenge.