Family reunion: Brothers Jawaun and Tristen Newton go head-to-head in the Bahamas – Courier & Press

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Tristen and Jawaun Newton swapped jerseys after Friday's Evansville-East Carolina game in the Bahamas.(Photo: Chad Lindskog / Courier & Press)

NASSAU, Bahamas Maybe the referee thought it was a coincidence they shared the same last name.

Perhaps he hadn't researched the roster makeup before Friday's Islands of the Bahamas Showcase matchup between Evansville and East Carolina. Referees aren't supposed to be biased, after all.

It is also possible he didn't see the similarities in their faces.

Whatever the reason, he had enough of East Carolina freshman Tristen Newton picking at Evansville sophomore Jawaun Newton and warned him to stop it or there would be consequences.

"That's my brother," Tristen said.

The referee then looked atJawaun. He smirked as hewas standing at the free-throw lineto continue the Aces' comeback before halftime after a poor start.

"Yeah, we're brothers," Jawaun said, seemingly sending the official into disbelief.

Jawaun Newton shoots during the Aces' game against East Carolina.(Photo: UE Athletics)

Theyfaced off for the first time on Friday night. Well, at least the first time on opposing teams. There've been countless games of 1-on-1.

The brothers from El Paso, Texas who each start for their NCAA Division I colleges separated by almost 800 miles reunited in the Bahamas. Their parentsMontreal and Erika Newton were on hand for the occasion dressed in custom T-shirts with each of their boys' names and numbers in the respective school colors on the front.

It was a night they'll never forget.

Ive been looking forward to it all season, Jawaun said. It just didnt go the way I wanted it to go.

Tristen's Pirates got the best of the Purple Aces, 85-68, to secure bragging rights. The younger brother scored 18 points, had five assists and four rebounds in 38 minutes while Jawaun scored four points and had two rebounds in half the amount of playing time.

UE Insider: 'Selfish' play continues to hinder Evansville basketball after ECU loss

They didn't shake hands before tipoff, nor did they guard one another much during the game. Tristen said he looked at Jawaun as an opponent, not his brother.

Afterward, however, Jawaun greeted his younger brother with a hug when Tristen emerged from the locker room to do a postgame radio interview.They then swapped jerseys and posed for family photos.

Were really close, Tristen said. Hes been right by my side for 18 years. My whole life, Ive been trying to compete against him and tell him Im better than him. Hes why I am the player I am.

Tristen Newton(Photo: ECU Athletics)

They were stars at Burges High School a football school before the Newtons arrived. Their cousins Aaron and Alvin Jones reached the NFL after starring at Burges.

The 6-foot-3 Jawaun was a two-time El Paso Times Boys Player of the Year and averaged 28.5 points and 7.1 rebounds as a senior. Tristen, whos 6-5, then received the Player of the Year honor last year to cap his senior campaign, in which he averaged 37.4 points and 9.2 rebounds to lead the state and rank sixth nationally in scoring.

Theyve been pushing each other on the basketball court since they were 4 and 5 years old. They wanted to stay teammates, too. But UE never officially offered Tristen a scholarship and he was a late ECU commit.

It was like watching a video game when they were in high school, their father Montreal said. Some people thought just because they were in El Paso, that they werent that good. Then they went out of town and scored even more points against schools from Dallas and Houston, so I knew they could play at this level.

Evansville's Jawaun Newton (3) takes the court before the start of the the University of Evansville Purple Aces vs Indiana University Kokomo Cougars game at Ford Center Thursday evening, Nov. 14, 2019. (Photo: MaCabe Brown / Courier & Press)

Jawaun and Montreal went kayaking in the ocean on Friday morning, but they flipped twice much to the amusement of UE coach Walter McCarty who was watching from afar.

Montreal and Erika each said they were nervous about the game, but they eventually relaxed and are joyous about being able to treat the weekend as a family vacation. The four of them dont get to see each other much anymore.

Its a blessing, Erika said.

They previously saw each of the boys season openers in person. The brothers also watch as many of each others games as they possibly can.

Friday was only the fourth time ECU and UE have met. The previous matchup was in the 2013 CIT while the other two were part of a home-and-home series in 1998 and 99.

The Newton brothers might not get another opportunity to share the same floor again. Its not common for brothers to play on the same college team, let alone against each other on different teams.

Just ask the referee.

We got the dub whats all we wanted, Tristen said.

He gets a story he can tell his grandkids, Jawaun relented.

Contact Chad Lindskog of the Courier & Press by email, clindskog@gannett.com, or on Twitter: @chadlindskog.

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Family reunion: Brothers Jawaun and Tristen Newton go head-to-head in the Bahamas - Courier & Press