OKLAHOMA CITY (Feb. 2, 2019) – Twice, OC rallied from double-digit deficits on Saturday afternoon against Newman (Kan.), but unfortunately for the Eagles, neither of those comebacks stuck.

Juwan Davenport scored five straight points for Newman in a critical 55-second span late in the basketball game and the Eagles ran out of time, falling 79-77 to the Jets in the Eagles' Nest.

It was the second narrow loss for OC (7-12, 2-6 Heartland Conference) against Newman (15-6, 6-3) this season. The Jets needed overtime to escape OC's upset bid and win 100-04 back on Dec. 1 in Wichita, Kan.

The Eagles seemed poised to finish the job the second time around, having used a 12-2 run to tie the game at 72-72 with 3:12 left on a nifty scoop shot from underneath the basket by Roderick Smith, who had 13 points and nine rebounds.

But Davenport hit two free throws with 2:58 left, and after an empty OC possession, he made a 3-pointer to put the Jets ahead 77-72 with 2:03 left. Smith scored with 1:35 left for OC but Marshawn Blackmon's put-back basket with 1:05 left restored Newman's lead to five points.

Marcus Blackwell, who had 13 points, knocked down a 3-pointer with 52.5 seconds left to pull OC within 79-77. Cameron Goldfinch missed a 3-point attempt for Newman and Will Lienhard rebounded for the Eagles, setting up a final chance for OC.

With the Jets focusing on keeping Jordan Box (18 points) from attempting the final shot, Smith ended up taking a 20-foot jumper, which missed, and Davenport rebounded for the Jets.

"We made some runs and fought all day, but couldn't get any separation or get over the hump," OC coach Cory Cole said. "Give Newman the credit for picking up the road win. They were tough and executed when it counted and made the key plays at the end. We had a couple of chances at the end to get stops and didn't. That was a huge key for us, relying on our defense. We had some breakdowns that hurt us in transition."

Newman began the game on a 13-2 run but the Eagles finally settled in and took a brief lead at 31-29 after two free throws by Smith with 4:04 left in the first half, although Newman was up 40-35 at halftime.

"We came out slow at the start," Cole said. "We were possibly too ready and were out of sync for the most part in the first half. We continued to inch back by getting timely stops and getting into our transition game."

Consecutive 3-pointers by Blackwell and Box pulled OC within 44-43 within 16:40 left, but Newman never let the Eagles regain the lead. A 7-0 spurt, capped by a basket by Tim Troussel, gave the Jets a 70-60 lead with 7:28 left.

Blackmon scored 14 points to lead Newman, while Davenport had 13 points and eight assists and DeAndre Johnson added 13 points and nine rebounds. For OC, Aubrey Johnson scored 10 points and Will Lienhard, NCAA Division II's rebounding leader, had 13 boards to go with eight points. OC went just 13 of 20 at the free-throw line.

Unless the teams play each other in the Heartland tournament, Saturday's game could have been the last meeting for awhile in the OC-Newman series, which dates back to the 1978-79 season. OC is heading into the Lone Star Conference with the 2019-20 season, while Newman is moving into the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association.

OC will return to action on Thursday, when the Eagles will host Heartland-leading St. Edward's (Texas).