Box Score WICHITA, Kansas - The TAMIU women's basketball team is showing just how far they've come in a short amount of time taking down conference foe Newman University 70-63 Thursday night at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita, Kansas. The Dustdevils win over the Jets snaps a four game losing streak versus Newman University dating back to the 2009-10 season.
"This was a good road win," said Head Coach Michelle Bento-Jackson "we must stay focused though. We did a better job in our defensive rotation on penetration, however, we need to recover quicker after we help on the initial drive. There are some areas we still need to correct from tonight and we have to stay mentally and physically prepared for Saturday's game. We have another tough challenge with Arkansas Fort Smith."
Tina Dang recovered from a tough outing in her last game knocking down 5-10 three pointers to lead the Dustdevils with 17 points. Amanda Mangan and Malika Jackson gave TAMIU huge minutes off the bench combining for 24 points, as the Dustdevils bench outscored Newman's 26-12. Jackson also grabbed a game-high eleven boards to finish with her second double-double of the season. Sam Chacon added 10 points and six rebounds, while Kim Brown and Rosebud Guthrie added eight points apiece.
The Dustdevils shot 42.1 percent from the field and 47.4 percent from beyond the arc while holding Newman to just 30.3 percent shooting.
Newman started off to a 6-2 lead but TAMIU answered with an 8-2 run aided by two Dang three pointers to jump in front 10-8. With the Dustdevils leading 19-17 with seven minutes remaining in the half, TAMIU broke out on an 11-3 run to take their biggest lead of the game at 30-20. Neither team was able to score in the final minute of the first period and the Dustdevils took a 33-25 lead into the break.
TAMIU opened the second half on a 9-4 run, extending their lead to 13 points. The Jets trimmed the lead down to four points but Amanda Mangan responded with a timely tre to push the lead out to 48-41. The Jets would cut the lead down to five points three more times before the final buzzer sounded, but each time the Dustdevils would respond with a big bucket to hold off a big run. The Dustdevils hit 4-6 free throws in the final 30 seconds to secure the 70-63 win.
With the win TAMIU improves to 2-2 in conference play and 5-9 overall while Newman falls to 0-2 in conference play and 5-9 overall. The Dustdevils will look to stay perfect on their two-game road trip on Saturday when they travel to Arkansas to battle the Arkansas Fort Smith Lions. Tip off for Saturdays game is scheduled for 4 p.m.
