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Newman trailed by as many as 11 in the second half, but a 30-point, 11-rebound effort by Alex Adekunle propelled the Jets to an 84-81 win over the University of Texas of the Permian Basin women's basketball team. The win gives Newman sole possession of first place in the Heartland Conference with one game left on the schedule.
UTPB looked to be in control of the game, but a seven minute field goal drought by the Falcons enabled the Jets to shift the momentum as they used a shaved a double-digit deficit to five (75-69) with 5:30 to go in the game. During that stretch, the Falcons missed eight-straight shots and five free throws and turned the ball over four times.
Newman dominated the inside, scoring 56 points in the paint and the one-two punch of Adekunle and Tasha Cannon, who put in 26 points and pulled down nine rebounds, proved to be too much for the Falcons.
UTPB led 81-77 with 1:45 to go after Missy Jackson hit a free throw, but it would be the last points it would score the rest of the game. Celeste Key made a layup and was fouled in the process to complete the three-point play with 52 seconds to go to make it a one-point game before Cannon gave the Jets the lead for good with a layup with just 20 seconds left. Rhea Codio hit a pair of free throws to give Newman a three-point lead with eight seconds to play and UTPB one last chance to tie the game. Lauren Unger attempted a three-pointer from the top-right side, but hit the side of the iron with three seconds to play. Missy Jackson grabbed the rebound and attempted a layup as time expired.
Adekunle and the rest of the Jets were relatively quiet in the first half as UTPB led 46-33 at the break. After the first 20 minutes of action Adekunle had just four points and two rebounds while Cannon and Codio had 11 points each.
The Falcons struggled from the field the entire second half, hitting 25 percent from the field, a stark contrast to the first half, where they connected on 47 percent of their shots. Newman was the exact opposite as it hit 60 percent in the first and 71 percent in the second.
Miesha Blackshear led the Falcons with 17 points, while Teisha King and Andrea Chaves had 15 and 10 respectively. The Falcons moved to 18-7 overall and 7-2 in the Heartland Conference and looks to go into the post season tournament as the No. 2 seed. They will play the final regular season game of the year next Saturday against St. Edward's in Austin.
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