Following a pair of home victories last week, the No. 16 Central Missouri Jennies hit the road again for a four-game swing, starting with a trip to the state capital to face the Lincoln Blue Tigers. The Jens have won two straight and ten of their last 11, but will face off against four teams who will be fighting for their spot in the MIAA tournament during this road stretch. Currently, the Jennies sit fourth in the conference standings, just a half-game behind MIAA-leading No. 14 Washburn.
Lewis led the way with 23 points for the Jennies; after struggling from long range after her last four games (1-19 3pt FG), Lewis broke out for a 5-for-7 performance, her best shooting performace since the win against Evangel in November. Flax finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, earning her second double-double in as many games.
National Leaders
The Jennies rank among the top teams in Division II in a number of statistical categories. As of Jan. 27, the Jens are 17th in total offense, averaging 74.3 points per game. They're also one of the deadliest deep-shooting teams in the country; the Jens 37.5% three-point shooting percentage is the 11th-highest in Division II, as the team hits an average of 6.8 treys per game, 37th-most in the nation. Overall Central Missouri shoots 42.8% from the field, ranking them 37th in the nation. With 15.2 turnovers committed per game, the Jens are one of the better ball handling teams in the country, with the 30th lowest turnover average. Finally, the Jennies have one of the best winning percentages in the nation, at .882 which ranks 9th.
The Jennies have developed a knack for pulling out close games this season; the team is 6-0 in games decided by five points or less, including Wednesday night's come-from-behind win over Missouri Western. On the season, the Jens shoot 42.8% from the field. In the final five minutes of games, however, that percentage rises to 48.7%. The Jens also average 11.0 points per game in the last five minutes compared to 74.3 on the year. UCM has claimed three wins after trailing with five minutes left in regulation (Southwest Baptist, Northeastern State, Missouri Western).
Instant Impact
Junior forward
Keuna Flax joined the team after end of the fall semester, and has immediately become one of the top players in the MIAA. Flax is averaging a team-high 20.5 points per game, and is shooting 51.2% from the field. Because she missed the first seven games of the year Flax doesn't qualify for any MIAA or NCAA leaderboards, but if she did, she would lead the conference in scoring with 1.5 points per game more than the second-highest average, and would rank eighth nationally in Division II. The Haltom City, Tex. native has scored 20 or more points in six of her ten games for UCM this season, and has scored in double figures in every appearance; her highest point total in a game this year game in her MIAA debut, when she put up 29 points in the win over Southwest Baptist.
Scoring Threat
Junior
BreAnna Lewis has been one of the nation's best three-point shooters at this point in the season. Lewis ranks fourth in the MIAA in scoring and 92nd in Division II, with 15.6 points per game, and is shooting at a 38.5% clip from beyond the arc, ranking 46th nationally. She has the MIAA's third-highest average of three-pointers hit per game, with 2.76, which places her 18th on the national leaderboard. In the win over Academy of Art, Lewis knocked down seven three-pointers, tying her for the third-most in a single game in Jennies program history; she nearly matched that total again, with six treys against Northeastern State. Lewis had been struggling from long range recently, hitting just one trey in the four games before Saturday's matchup with Northwest Missouri; against the Bearcats however, Lewis broke out for five three-pointers in the second half, leading the Jens to their come-from-behind victory.
Lewis, along with
Keuna Flax, were former teammates at Trinity Valley CC, where they won the NJCAA national championship a year ago. With the Jennies, the pair account for 36.1 points per game, just under half of the team's scoring average.
Senior Leader
Senior forward
Nicole Caddell has been dominant in the post this season, averaging a double-double with 12.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game, one of just two players to do so in the MIAA. Caddell has matched her career high of 16 rebounds three times this season (St. Mary's, Lewis, Arkansas Tech), and ranks 2nd in the MIAA in total rebounding while leading the league in offensive boards (4.2 per game). The Tuscaloosa, Ala. native ranks 23rd in the nation in rebounds, and 56th in the country with six double-doubles this season.
Caddell is quickly approaching a big career milestone; after collecting 11 points against Northwest Missouri, the senior has tallied 987 career points, and is closing in on being the 24th member of the Jennies 1,000 point club. She also moved into fourth place on UCM's all-time blocked shots list, with two against the Griffons on Wednesday, and 95 for her career, passing Kamala Sherman (1991-93) and Tammy Wilson (1981-85).
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, leading the team in scoring at the time. The current team leader,
Keuna Flax, played together with Winkelmann for one game (Dixie State) before the freshman's injury.
Starting Roles
A pair of Jennies worked their way into the starting lineups beginning with the trip to Las Vegas, in junior
Quinnecia Twine and sophomore
Brielle Wattley.
Twine is averaging 8.6 points as a starter, up from her season average of 7.6 points per game. She has scored in double figures in four starts, including a career-high 16 points in the win over Pittsburg State.
Wattley took over the point guard spot in the pair of games in Las Vegas, and is averaging 1.4 assists as a starter. She leads the team with a 1.43 assist-to-turnover ratio this season, and has committed just six turnovers in her last eight games.
Bench Notes
Junior Symore Murray leads the bench with 5.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game this season ... She scored a career-high 13 points at Fort Hays State, and has reached double-figures five times this season, including her 11-point performance at Truman ...
Erin Redmond is fourth on the team with 26 assists on the year, to go along with 2.9 points and 1.7 rebounds per game ... Redmond scored a season-high in conference play with five points against Northwest Missouri ... Junior
Kiersten Orton has been one of the best rebounders off the bench for the Jens, averaging 3.0 boards per game ... She picked up three points and four boards in the win over Missouri Western, then led the team against Northwest Missouri with two assists ... Freshman
Danielle Barry scored a career-high seven points in the first half of the win over Pittsburg State, helping the Jens make a run to grab the lead at the half ...
Breonna Embray has appeared in all 17 games this year, averaging 1.1 points per game ... Her four points against the Bearcats is her highest point total since a career-high five points against Academy of Art.
Milestone Victory
After defeating Pittsburg State earlier this month, head coach
Dave Slifer moved into third place on the Jennies all-time wins list, surpassing Mildred Barnes (1971-80). Slifer has a 160-93 record on the UCM sideline, and a 543-192 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
With its first loss in the last six weeks, the Central Missouri Jennies slid five spots to No. 16 in this week's WBCA USA TODAY Sports Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. The Jennies dropped after suffing a 73-64 defeat at Truman last weekend.
With a 13-2 overall record, the Jennies are the second-highest ranked MIAA team in the poll. Washburn also fell five spots after their loss to Northeastern State, and are ranked at No. 14 this week. Ashland (Ohio) retains the top spot as they remain undefeated at 19-0.
Pittsburg State improves to No. 18 after their win over Fort Hays State last week, who falls out of the top 25 poll. Fort Hays (53 pts.) and Truman are the only two teams receivng votes from the conference this week.
UCM Program History
The UCM Jennies are 840-351 (.705) after 41 seasons, and 637-262 (.709) in the 30 seasons since joining NCAA Division II ... Wednesday's matchup with Lincoln will mark the 900th game for the Jennies since joining the 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 Lincoln
Central Missouri is 45-2 against Lincoln in the all-time series, but one of those two losses came last season, in a 57-53 defeat at home. The Jens have won 15 of the last 16 meetings, including all nine matchups when Lincoln was a member of the Heartland Conference, ranging from 1998-2005. The only other loss came in 1997-98, when the Blue Tigers claimed a 51-47 win in Jefferson City.
Opponent Preview
The Blue Tigers will wrap up a three-game homestand when the Jennies come to Jason Gymnasium, and are coming off a 73-66 win over Missouri Western on Saturday afternoon. Lincoln is led by seniors Freddie Sims and Arriana Walker, who average 13.6 and 13.3 points per game, respectively, ranking eighth and tenth among MIAA scoring leaders. Walker also leads the league with 3.6 steals per game, and ranks second in the MIAA with 4.4 assists per game.
Last Time Against the Blue Tigers
The Jens claimed a 67-61 road win over Lincoln last season after dropping the home matchup earlier in the year. Three Jennies scored in double-figures, led by
Alyssa Rhodes' 18 points. The Blue Tigers held a 56-51 advantage in the second half until UCM tied the score with 3:20 remaining. Using a 13-1 run, the Jens capped off the comeback to earn the six-point victory.
A Win for the Jennies Would...
... improve the Jennies record to 16-2 this season ... improve their conference record to 8-2 ... be the second straight win over Lincoln ... be the eighth straight road win over the Blue Tigers.
A Loss for the Jennies Would...
... drop the Jennies record to 15-3 on the year ... drop their record to 7-3 against the MIAA this season ... be the second loss in the last four games ... be the second straight road loss ... be the second loss in three games to Lincoln.
Jennies Basketball in the Multi
The Jens are 454-99 all-time in the Multipurpose Building, and 85-29 during the Slifer era ... Currently, the Jennies hold a 10-0 record in the Multi this season ... 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.
UCM Athletics
The 2011-12 school year saw Central Missouri's 15 sports combine for seven MIAA regular season titles, and three MIAA tournament championships (women's soccer, baseball, men's golf). The Mules and Jennies have totaled 191 MIAA regular season championships across all sports, the most of any MIAA program. UCM has won five national championships since 1980 (men's and women's basketball in 1984, baseball in 1994 and 2003, and women's bowling in 2003), and seven national titles overall.
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.
Each MIAA contest througout the season will also be available online through AmericaOneSports.com. Every home game broadcast is produced by the student-run UCM Media Network. The cost for the webcasts is $8 for a single game, $30 for a 30-day pass, and $89.95 for a season pass, which includes both Mules and Jennies basketball.
MIAA Tournament
The 2013 MIAA Tournament is scheduled for March 8-10, at the Municipal Auditorium in downdown Kansas City, Mo. This year's edition of the conference tournament has a slightly different format, as four preliminary first-round matchups will take place on Tuesday, March 5 to round out the eight-team field. The top four seeds will earn a bye and automatically punch their tickets to Kansas City, while seeds 5-8 will host a first-round game against seeds 9-12.
The Jennies have claimed seven MIAA tournament titles, second only to Washburn's nine titles, but haven't cut the nets down since 1990. Last season, the Jennies knocked off Fort Hays State, 73-61 in the first round before falling to the eventual conference tournament champions Washburn, 64-62 in the semifinals.
