WICHITA, Kan. (Dec. 1, 2018) – The outstanding performances came from all over the basketball court Saturday afternoon for Oklahoma Christian – 32 points from Aubrey Johnson, 25 from Jordan Box and a third straight double-double from Will Lienhard.

It seemed like it would be enough – until it wasn't. Newman (Kan.) rallied from a five-point deficit in the final minute of regulation to force overtime and the Jets held off OC in the final seconds for a 100-94 win over the Eagles at Fugate Gymnasium.

It was the second straight road game in which OC (3-4, 0-1 Heartland Conference) played well but lost because of a free-throw advantage for its opponent. Newman (5-4, 1-1) hit 38 of 46 free throws compared to 27 of 29 for the Eagles. In the foul-marred game, five players fouled out (three for OC, two for Newman) and five others had four fouls by the end.

"We fouled too much," OC coach Cory Cole said. "The (officiating) crew did a good job. Both ends were pretty physical. We just didn't get a couple of extra breaks, but that's going to happen. You've got to play through that."

Despite the disappointing end, there were plenty of positives for the Eagles. Johnson went 5 of 6 from 3-point range and 11 of 12 from the free-throw line and carried OC offensively after Box fouled out with 5:29 left. Box's 25 points were a season high and came on 9-of-16 shooting.

Lienhard, the leading rebounder in NCAA Division II, grabbed 11 to go with 10 points and two blocked shots. OC shot 47.5 percent (28 of 59) from the field, including 52.4 percent (11 of 21) from 3-point range.

"That's what we can build on," Cole said. "Playing on the road (in each game this season), there's been progress. Our guys are learning to finish. We're still learning chemistry and how to play together. You had different guys step up and make big-time plays, which shows our depth. That's going to be key for us as we get more into Heartland play next semester."

Newman won thanks to its edge in free throws and in rebounding (41-30). Seventeen of those rebounds for the Jets were on the offensive end, giving them extra opportunities.

OC trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half but rallied and went ahead 77-76 with 3:01 left in regulation on a 3-pointer by Johnson. Lienhard followed with a put-back and hit two free throws with 1:09 left to make it 81-76.

Marshawn Blackmon hit two free throws with 59 seconds left for Newman and Dametrius Walker did the same with 26.5 seconds left, pulling the Jets within 81-80. Johnson split a pair of free throws with 18.8 seconds left for OC before Blackmon hit a short, driving jumper in the lane with 4.3 seconds left to tie the game.

Johnson drove the length of the court and appeared to get knocked down while shooting at the buzzer, but officials waved off the play, resulting in overtime.

The Eagles led twice in the extra period and a basket by Lienhard with 1:12 left tied the score at 90-90. Ben Ayre's 3-pointer with 55.8 seconds left gave the Jets an advantage they rode the rest of the way. OC trailed 94-92 and had the ball but a traveling call on Johnson with 20.7 seconds left forced the Eagles to start fouling and Newman went 6 of 6 from the line in the final moments to seal the win.

Juwan Davenport led Newman with 25 points, going 12 of 15 from the line, and grabbed eight rebounds. Walker had 20 points, Ayre had 19 points and eight assists and Blackmon had 16 points for the Jets.

The Eagles' next three games will be at home, against nonconference foes – Thursday against Southwestern Oklahoma State, Dec. 15 against Southwestern Christian and Dec. 17 against Maryville (Mo).