Next up for the Jennies
The Central Missouri Jennies finished the month of November with a perfect 5-0 record, and will open up MIAA play with a trip west to take on the 17th-ranked Fort Hays State Tigers. The Jens are looking to get back on the court after more than a week off, and will go for their first win over a ranked opponent this season.

Last Time Out
Central Missouri trailed at the half for the first time this season, on the road against the Lewis Flyers, but were able to get out in front shortly after the break, taking a 84-77 victory. Four Jennies finished in double figures, including senior Nicole Caddell's second straight double-double, picking up 24 points and 16 rebounds.

With UCM leading by 11 with just over four minutes to play, the Flyers hit back-to-back threes in less than a minute, making it a 75-70 Jennies edge. Lewis would pull to within four with 2:18 remaining, before a Caddell jumper and a pair of free throws from Brielle Wattley stretched the lead back to eight, holding off the Flyer comeback.

Wattley posted a career high 13 points in the win, scoring in double figures for the first time in her career. The win was also the 11th straight for the Jennies over a non-conference opponent.

Championship Experience
Junior guard BreAnna Lewis is leading the offense through the early portion of the season, averaging a team-high 18.8 points per game. The Greenville, Miss. native ranks second in the MIAA in scoring average, and leads the league with 16 three-pointers made, averaging 3.2 treys each contest. She also ranks fifth in the league with a .533 shooting percentage from beyond the arc.

Miss Basketball
Freshman Shelby Winkelmann has been another key addition to the 2012-13 squad. The guard is averaging 17.2 points per game, second-most on the team and fifth in the MIAA. Of the five Jennies' starters, Winkelmann has the highest shooting percentage, at 58.3%. Defensively, Winkelmann is averaging 2.2 steals per contest, ranking 11th in the league.

Senior Leader
With two strong performances in her last two games, senior Nicole Caddell has helped the Jennies to a pair of wins over NCAA Division II opponents. Caddell has posted double-doubles in back-to-back games, at home against St. Mary's (Tex.) and on the road at Lewis. Against the Rattlers, the forward collected a career-high 16 rebounds along with ten points. She then followed that performance up with another 16 boards as well as a game-high 24 points against the Flyers.

While she only ranks 25th in the MIAA in scoring (11.4 ppg), Caddell is among the league leaders in other key categories. The Tuscaloosa, Ala. native leads the conference in rebounding, averaging 11.2 boards per game. She is fourth in the MIAA in steals per game, with 2.6, and fifth in blocks, averaging 2.2 per night.

Key Reserves
Two juniors have been instrumental in their roles off the bench this season, in Symone Murray and Quinnecia Twine. Murray is averaging 7.8 points per game and 3.6 rebounds per game from the forward position. After scoring in double figures in the first three games of the season, Murray's production has slowed, scoring five points in the win at Lewis, and going 0-for-5 from the field against St. Mary's.

Twine has similar numbers of the year, with an average of 7.6 points and 1.0 rebounds per game, while seeing an average of 13.4 minutes on the floor. Twine has been able to get to the free throw line with ease this year, and is second on the team in free throw attempts (18), where she is shooting at a 66.7% clip. In the three games against Division II opponents this season, Twine is averaging 4.3 points per game, and is shooting 70% (7-10) from the free throw line.

Running the Point
After missing all of last season due to injury, senior Erin Redmond has thrived in the starting point guard role in 2012-13. The senior is averaging 6.0 points per game while dealing out 1.6 assists per game. Redmond is shooting an even 50% from the field going 12-of-24 this season.

Post Player
Junior Kiersten Orton has earned a starting spot in all five games this season, and is averaging 3.4 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. The forward has also collected six blocks on the season, which ranks 11th in the MIAA.

Bench Notes
Sophomore Brielle Wattley is averaging over twenty minutes per game on the floor, leading all players off the bench ... The guard is averaging 5.2 points per game and is tied for the team lead with 13 assists ... Her 1.6 assist-to-turnover ratio ranks 10th in the MIAA ... Redshirt freshman Danielle Barry has gained valuable experience on the court this season, and is averaging 2.8 points and 3.8 rebounds per game ... Sophomore Breonna Embray has appeared in all five games this season, averaging 10.4 minutes per game ... Embray has scored ten points on the season, and dealt out a total of four assists ... She currently leads the team with an 85.7% (6-7) free throw percentage.

Offensive Output
The Jennies have one of the highest-powered offenses in the league so far this season, averaging 83.0 points per game with a .490 shooting percentage; both averages lead the MIAA this season. UCM has won its five games this year by an average of 23.6 points, giving the Jens the second-highest scoring margin in the MIAA. From beyond the arc, the Jens are shooting at a 42.0% clip, ranking just behind Truman for the league lead.

Coaching Milestone
With the 84-77 win at Lewis, Jennies head coach Dave Slifer picked up his 150th victory at UCM. Slifer is six 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 150-91 record on the UCM sideline, and a 533-190 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.); the Riverhawks earned an NCAA Tournament at-large bid after competing as an independent last year, and reached the second round before falling to the eventual regional champs, Pittsburg State.

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. Emporia State and Northeastern State placed third and fourth, while Fort Hays State rounds out the top five in both polls.

UCM in the Polls
Central Missouri has been steadily rising in the WBCA USA TODAY Sports Division II Coaches Poll since the start of the season. The Jennies earned three votes in the preseason poll, then collected 31 votes after the first week of the season, and has earned 52 votes in the latest poll, just shy of cracking the top 25 for the first time this season. The Jens are the 29th team in the poll, and the fifth of nine MIAA teams that received at least one vote.

UCM Program History
The UCM Jennies are 830-349 (.704) after 41 seasons, and 627-260 (.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 Fort Hays State
Central Missouri leads the all-time series over the Tigers, with a 10-6 record ... The Jens took two of three from the Tigers last season, including a first-round matchup at the MIAA Tournament ... The Jens fell in their road matchup at Fort Hays last season, 68-51, and have dropped three of the last four road meetings.

Opponent Preview
The 23rd-ranked Tigers will face off against the Jennies with a 6-0 record to start the year. The Tigers claimed 20-point victories over Arkansas Tech and Texas-Permian Basin during Thanksgiving weekend. Fort Hays is led by sophomore forward Kate Lehman, averaging 17.7 points per game, fourth-most in the MIAA, and 8.2 rebounds per game, ranking seventh in the league. Defensively, Lehman has collected a conference-leading 4.7 blocks per game, and was named the MIAA Player of the Week from Nov. 19-25.

A Win for the Jennies Would...
... start the Jennies season with a perfect 6-0 record ... be the second consecutive 6-0 start to a season ... open up the MIAA season with a 1-0 mark ... be the fifth straight season with a victory in the MIAA opener ... be the first win in Hays since the 2009-10 season.

A Loss for the Jennies Would...
... drop the Jennies record to 5-1 on the year ... drop their record to 0-1 against the MIAA this season ... be the fourth loss in the last five trips to Hays ... be the third consecutive loss to a ranked opponent.

Jennies Basketball in the Multi
The Jens are 447-99 all-time in the Multipurpose Building, and 80-29 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.