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Next up for the Jennies
The Central Missouri Jennies return from the Christmas break with an important in-region matchup, as they host the defending Great American Conference regular season champions, the Arkansas Tech Golden Suns. The Jens will look to earn their fourth straight victory, and extend their win streak against non-conference opponents to 14 games.

Last Time Out
The Jennies earned a pair of important non-conference victories, defeating Dixie State (Utah) and Academy of Art (Calif.) at the Las Vegas Challenge. The Jens trailed throughout the first half against Dixie State, before taking control with an 11-4 run to close out the half. The Red Storm never reclaimed the lead, as UCM took a 78-69 victory.

In the second game in Las Vegas, the Jennies were led by BreAnna Lewis' hot hand, in a 92-80 win over Academy of Art. The junior guard scored 30 points, going 7-of-14 from the three-point line. Lewis knocked down the third-most three-point field goals in Jennies history, tying Jessica Burkholder and Lindsey Maple in the record books.

Welcome Addition
Joining the team at the end of the fall semester, junior Keuna Flax wasted no time in becoming a key factor in the Jennies success. The forward scored 28 points in her season debut against Dixie State, then followed that performance with a 23-point game in the win over Academy of Art. Flax also recorded her first double-double against the Red Storm, pulling down 10 rebounds.

Flax comes to UCM after playing alongside teammate BreAnna Lewis at Trinity Valley CC, where the pair helped lead their team to a perfect 36-0 record, and a junior college national championship.

Disappointing Departure
After leading the Jennies offense during the first eight games of the season, freshman Shelby Winkelmann suffered a season-ending injury during the win over Dixie State. Winkelmann was averaging 17.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game

Hot Shooter
Junior guard BreAnna Lewis had a big game against Academy of Art before the break, scoring a game-high 30 points in the win. Lewis went 7-of-14 from beyond the arc, hitting her first four treys in the game to get the Jennies out to a commanding lead. Lewis is averaging 16.8 points per game, ranking her fourth in the MIAA, and third on the team behind Flax and Winkelmann. She also ranks sixth in the league in three-point percentage, shooting at a .459 clip. Lewis has hit more three-pointers (29) than anyone else on the team has attempted (Quinnecia Twine, 25 attempts).

Senior Leader
Nicole Caddell picked up her third double-double of the season in the win over Dixie State, recording 21 points and 10 rebounds. Caddell is leading the MIAA with her 10.2 rebounds per game average, while ranking 16th in scoring, with 12.7 points per game. She also ranks second in the league with 2.7 steals per game. While she may have struggled to score against Academy of Art, recording eight points, Caddell was able to contribute in other ways, pulling down 11 rebounds while dealing out a season-high five assists in the win.

Starting Roles
A pair of Jennies worked their way into the starting lineup during the games in Las Vegas, as sophomore Brielle Wattley started both games and junior Quinnecia Twine earned the start in the win over Academy of Art. Wattley played only seven minutes against the Red Storm, before putting up solid numbers against the Urban Knights, with six points and two assists, while going 2-for-2 from beyond the arc.

Twine picked up 13 points against Academy of Art, while pulling down six rebounds. The Atlanta, Ga. native earned her third career double-figure performance, after scoring 11 points in the season opener against Webster, and 14 points in the win over Evangel.

Key Reserves
Junior Symone Murray is having a solid first season at Central Missouri, averaging 6.7 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. The forward earned a combined four points and seven rebounds over the two games in Las Vegas, playing a total of 32 minutes.

Erin Redmond, who started the first seven games of the season, came off the bench in Las Vegas, and had a pair of solid performances at point guard. The senior went 1-for-3 in both games, totaling four points in the pair of wins.

Bench Notes
Junior Kiersten Orton also came off the bench at the Las Vegas Challenge after starting earlier this season ... The foward averaged 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds per game during the tournament ... On the year, Orton is averaging 2.4 points and 3.5 boards per game, and is second on the team in blocks, with six ... Redshirt freshman Danielle Barry has gained valuable experience on the court this season, and is averaging 2.3 points and 2.6 rebounds per game ... Barry picked up four points over 19 minutes on the floor in Las Vegas ... Sophomore Breonna Embray scored a career-high five points in the win over Academy of Art ... Embray went 2-for-2 from the free throw line against the Urban Knights, increasing her season free throw percentage to 88.9%, highest average on the team ... Mollie Williams made her Jennies debut in mop-up time against Academy of Art, playing in the final two minutes of the victory.

Offensive Output
The Jennies have one of the highest-powered offenses in the league so far this season, averaging 79.9 points per game, most in the MIAA and 12th best in Division II as of Dec. 16. The Jens also have recorded a .449 shooting percentage, fourth-highest in the league and 12th in the nation. With its' 8-1 mark this season, UCM has an outscored opponents by an average of 12.8 points, giving the Jens the fifth-highest scoring margin in the MIAA. From beyond the arc, the Jens are shooting at a 43.0% clip, leading the MIAA and ranking 8th in Division II.

Milestone Victory
With the 84-77 win at Lewis, Jennies head coach Dave Slifer picked up his 150th victory at UCM. Slifer is two victories away from moving into a tie for third place on the Jennies all-time wins list, with Mildred Barnes (1971-80). Slifer has a 153-92 record on the UCM sideline, and a 536-191 record during his 24-year coaching career. He currently ranks seventh among active coaches at the Division II level in total wins, and is one of just seven active coaches to reach the 500 wins mark.

In the Classroom
As much success as the Jennies saw on the court in 2011-12, they achieved just as much in the classroom. Nine players on last year's roster earned the MIAA Academic Honor Roll award, for earning at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA. Two players from a year ago, Alyssa Rhodes and Taylor Hanson, were honored with the MIAA Scholar-Athlete award, as the two seniors were recognized for earning All-MIAA Team honors while maintaining a 3.5 GPA or higher.

Junior forward Kiersten Orton was one of just 18 athletes across all sports at Central Missouri to earn the MIAA Academic Excellence Award. Orton has recorded a perfect 4.0 GPA during her time at UCM, while studying Accounting.

MIAA Preseason Polls
After a fourth place regular season finish a year ago, the Jennies debuted at No. 6 in the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Polls. The Jens finished behind Fort Hays State in both polls, after finishing ahed of the Tigers in the MIAA standings in 2011-12, and knocking Fort Hays State out of the MIAA Tournament in the first round. UCM also tallied fewer votes than MIAA newcomers Northeastern State (Okla.).

Washburn, who won the regular season and tournament titles last year, were picked to repeat by both the coaches and the media. Pittsburg State, who reached the first round of the NCAA Elite Eight, were picked second in both polls.

UCM in the Polls
After suffering their first loss of the season to then-No. 17 Fort Hays State, the Jennies fell out of the WBCA USA TODAY Sports Division II Coaches Poll. The Jens recieived their first national ranking of the year two weeks ago, debuting in the poll at No. 23. While the Jens dropped out of the poll, they were able to take an MIAA rival out with them; Emporia State, who were ranked No. 21 last week, also dropped out after the Jennies upset the Lady Hornets in Warrensburg.

Three MIAA teams currently are ranked in the top 25 poll this week. Washburn moved up one spot up to No. 6, and are the highest conference team in the poll. Fort Hays State also jumped up one spot to No. 10, while Pittsburg State recovered after dropping in two straight polls, moving from No. 18 to No. 17.

UCM Program History
The UCM Jennies are 833-350 (.704) after 41 seasons, and 630-261 (.707) in the 30 seasons since joining NCAA Division II ... the Jennies have won 9 MIAA regular season championships, 7 MIAA Tournament titles, 6 NCAA regional titles, and the 1984 NCAA Division II National Championship.

Series History with Arkansas Tech
The Jennies hold a 2-1 all-time record over the Golden Suns, with their last two meetings coming in 2006-07 ... The Golden Suns won the last matchup, 80-76, after the Jennies claimed a 58-49 victory two weeks earlier.

Opponent Info
The Golden Suns come to Warrensburg with a 5-3 record, and are riding a two-game win streak, earning non-conference wins over LeMoyne-Owen and Benedict. They boast the highest scoring offense in the GAC, and are led by senior Natalia Santos, who averages 17.0 points per game.

A Win for the Jennies Would...
... improve the Jennies record to 9-1 this season ... extend the Jennies non-conference winning streak to 14 games ... improve the Jennies all-time mark against Arkansas Tech to 3-1 ... extend the Jens home winning streak to six games.

A Loss for the Jennies Would...
... drop the Jennies record to 8-2 on the year ... be the first home loss since last year's overtime defeat to Truman ... be the first loss to a Great American Conference foe since Arkansas Tech's win in 2006-07.

Jennies Basketball in the Multi
The Jens are 448-99 all-time in the Multipurpose Building, and 81-29 during the Slifer era ... UCM has won at least nine home games every year since 2004-05 ... the Jennies have gone undefeated at home three times: 1982-83 (15-0, finished 3rd in the nation), 1985-86 (14-0, regional champions), and 1988-89 (15-0, finished 4th in the nation) ... from 1988 to 1990, the Jennies won a school-record 34 consecutive games at the Multi.

Jennies on the Air
Central Missouri women's basketball can be caught throughout the season on 98.5 “The BAR,” 1450 KOKO, and warrensburgradio.com as Greg Hassler provides play-by-play alongside Shawn Jones.

Fans can catch highlights each week on Central Missouri Sportspage, Thursday nights at 7 p.m., and Saturdays at 5 p.m. on KMOS-TV. Shawn Jones will sit down with Coach Slifer throughout the season to discuss the latest game, as various Jennies will be featured throughout the year.

Jennies fans can also tune in to 98.5 “The Bar” and 1450 KOKO each Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. for Central Missouri Sports Talk, with Greg Hassler and Bill Turnage. The pair will talk UCM athletics, as well as other hot topics in the sports world. Jennies coaches and players will drop in throughout the season as well.