PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team built a commanding 31-point lead early in the second half and rode that scoring wave to an 86-73 victory over Newman University Thursday (Jan. 8) at John Lance Arena.

Pitt State (11-5, 5-1 MIAA) never trailed in the contest and the Gorillas combined to hit 15 3-point field goals on the night, one off the single-game school record.

Junior guard Connor Rogers scored a game high 22 points, while freshman guard/forward Ethan Sage added a season best 18 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore forward/center Alijah Curry finished with 15 points, one off matching his season best scoring performance, while freshman guard Landon Short chipped in with 12 points and redshirt junior guard Hayden Shanks posted 10 points. Freshman guard Mason English reached double figures in assists with 10.

Newman sophomore guard Cyrus Shaw led four Jets players in double figures with 15 points. The Jets (5-9, 1-4 MIAA) outscored the Gorillas, 18-2, over the final 4:10 of game clock for a cosmetic trimming of the game's final margin.

The Gorillas will travel to Claremore, Okla., next Wednesday (Jan. 14) to face MIAA rival Rogers State University.