12th-ranked Jennies come home to play Lincoln on Wednesday - University of Central Missouri Athletics

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No. 12 Central Missouri Jennies (18-3, 12-2 MIAA) vs. Lincoln Blue Tigers (4-17, 1-13 MIAA)

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Next up for the Jennies

The 12th-ranked Jennies look to extend their winning streak to four games and will go for their 19th win in the past 20 meetings with Lincoln. Central Missouri has clinched a spot in the MIAA Postseason Tournament and enters the week tied for first place (12-2) in the MIAA standings with Emporia State. A win, coupled with a Missouri Southern loss on Wednesday would clinch a bye to the conference tournament quarterfinals in Kansas City. Last Saturday's win was the Jennies' sixth conference victory this season, passing their total from a season ago when they won five MIAA road games. Senior forward Keuna Flax remains the conference's leading scorer with 20.7 points per game. Junior forward Revonnia Howard comes into the week averaging the third-most rebounds in the conference at 8.8 per game. Lincoln lost their last game against Northwest MIssouri at home on Feb. 8 and have dropped 13 of their last 14 games overall. Junior guard Jennifer Rosado leads the team with 14.0 points per game and scored 24 against Central Missouri back on Jan. 22 in the Jennies' 71-70 win.

Last Time Out

The 13th-ranked Jennies defeated the Missouri Southern Lions for the second time in a week, 75-67 at the Leggett and Platt Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Jennies (18-3, 12-2 MIAA) received an offensive boost with three players scoring in double-figures, including a season-best 15 points from senior guard Quinnecia Twine. Twine was a perfect 10-of-10 from the free throw line. Keuna Flax led the Jennies with 20 points and added seven rebounds, while BreAnna Lewis chipped in 16 points.

UCM never trailed in this game, coming out with a three-pointer by Lewis 14 seconds into the contest. They built the lead to seven at 12-5, led by a pair of layups from Lewis and a three by Breonna Embray.

The Jennies were able to maintain a two-possession lead for the remainder of the half, taking a 37-31 lead into intermission. UCM scored nine points off of Missouri Southern turnovers and got 11 points from its second unit in the opening half. The Lions fought back to pull to within 41-40 with 16:49 left.

The two teams exchanged baskets over the next three possessions to keep it at a three-point game at 45-42.

With a 50-45 lead, Lewis was fouled on a three-point attempt and sank all three free throws to put the Jennies up by eight, 53-45 with 12:49 remaining.

Missouri Southern went on a 16-8 run to tie the game for the first time at 61-61 over the next 5:09.

The Jennies regained the lead at 67-61 with 6:34 left in the game.

The Lions were able to pull to within 70-67, but the Jennies scored the game's final five points to secure their third-consecutive victory and maintain a share of first place in the MIAA standings.

Slifer By The Numbers

Slifer is 34th on the all-time wins list for all division coaches with 571.

Slifer is sixth among all Division II coaches with 571 wins and is eighth among all Division II coaches with a .741 winning percentage. Slifer earned his 570th career win in UCM's 67-64 win against Southwest Baptist on Feb. 6 in Warrensburg.

Jennies Basketball In The Multi

The Jens are 427-93 all-time in the Multipurpose Building, and 97-30 during the Slifer era ... Central Missouri finished the 2012-13 season with a 14-0 record in the Multi ... UCM has won at least nine home games every year since 2004-05 ... the Jennies have gone undefeated at home four times: 1982-83 (15-0, finished 3rd in the nation), 1985-86 (14-0, regional champions), 1988-89 (15-0, finished 4th in the nation), and 2012-13 ... from 1988 to 1990, the Jennies won a school-record 34 consecutive games at the Multi ... The Jennies had their 21-home game win streak snapped on Jan. 25, 2014 against Lindenwood, 65-64.

Home Cooking

The Jennies will go for their 10th home win of the season on Wednesday night, which would give them double-digit home wins for the third-consecutive season. It would be the first time under head coach Dave Slifer that the Jennies recorded three straight 10-win seasons.

Knocking Down Free Throws

In the 75-67 win at Missouri Southern, the Jennies shot a season-best 89.3% from the free throw line, making 25-of-28 free throws. It was just the second time this season the Jens made at least 80% of their shots (Jan. 6 against Washburn - 84.6%). UCM was coming off a season-worst performance shooting 56.7% (17-of-30) against SBU on Feb. 6.

Watch For Lewis

Senior BreAnna Lewis has scored at least 20 points in seven of the Jennies' games this season. Last season, she recorded 11 games of 20-plus points. UCM has five regular season games remaining on the schedule.

Twine Perfect From The Line

Senior guard Quinnecia Twine was a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe in the 75-67 win at Missouri Southern last Saturday. It was the first time a Jennies player shot 100% from the line with a minimum of 10 attempts since Jan. 2, 2013 when Keuna Flax made 13-of-13 free throws against SBU.

Flax Scores 20, Matches Season Best

Senior forward Keuna Flax led UCM with 20 points in its win at Missouri Southern. It was the 13th game of 20-plus points for Flax this season, matching her total from a season ago.

Another Solid Game From The Bench

For the second straight game, the Jennies' second unit contributed mightily to the outcome of the game. UCM's bench outscored MSSU's bench, 23-16 - all 23 points coming from Twine and Danielle Barry. It was the second time this season the Jennies' bench has scored at least 20 points in back-to-back games (outscored SBU, 22-15 on Feb. 6).

New Starting Point Guard

Junior Breonna Embray has started the past three games for the Jennies, logging 72 minutes and recording seven assists and four rebounds. Against MSSU, she played a season high of 33 minutes, scoring seven points, dishing out three assists and hitting a pair of three-pointers. The Jennies are 3-0 when Embray starts at point guard this season.

BreAnna Lewis Chasing Fromm

Senior guard BreAnna Lewis registered 88 three-pointers during the 2012-13 season. The 88 shots made from beyond the three-point arc placed her second on the Jennies' single-season list (four behind Jessica Burkholder in 1996-97 season).

Through 21 games this season, Lewis has sank 42 three-pointers, reaching five twice this season. She has recorded at least one three-pointer in 17 of 21 games (none against FHSU, WU, MWSU and LU). The 42 three-pointers puts her three-point career total to 130 – now seventh on the Jennies' all-time three-point field goals made list. She now stands 15 three-pointers from tying Maegan Fromm for sixth on UCM's all-time leaderboard.

Defensive Spark Off The Bench

Junior Justina Prairie Chief has made her presence felt on the team's second unit, leading all bench players in rebounds with 80 (26 offensive). She has recorded just one rebound in each of the past six games, logging a total of 66 minutes.

Holding Down The Frontcourt

Junior Revonnia Howard has started this season at forward, taking the place of the graduated Nicole Caddell, the program's eighth all-time leading rebounder (704).

Howard is averaging 9.8 points and 8.8 rebounds through 21 games this season. She set a new career-high in rebounds on Jan. 18 at Northwest Missouri with 17 (four offensive) to go along with 12 points. She has eight 10-plus rebound games this season, which is first among Jennies. Her 34 blocks are also a team high.

The Lone Freshman

Freshman guard Andee Wahlert is the only freshman on the Jennies' roster. The St. Joseph, Mo. native and Benton High School product was a four-year varsity letterwinner on the girls varsity team at Benton and served as a three-time captain. Wahlert is averaging 1.9 points and 0.6 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game this season. She also has 11 steals and 36 assists (season-high of 4 against Evangel on Nov. 26) while shooting 30.8% from three-point range (8-of-26).

Embray's Defense

Junior guard Breonna Embray was a defensive staple for the Jennies in tight games last season. In games decided by four points or less, the Jennies finished 9-1 with Embray on the floor. Embray is averaging 17.1 minutes this season, making 9-of-26 field goals. Embray has been on the floor in the final seconds in three of the Jennies games decided by four points or less this season (88-86 overtime win at Pittsburg State, 71-70 win at Lincoln, 67-64 win vs. Southwest Baptist).

Twine Continues To Shine

This season, Twine has played in 19 games, starting two, averaging 7.3 points, shooting 42-of-108 from the floor (38.9%) and has 19 steals and 22 assists. Her 7.3 points leads all bench players this season.

Excelling In The Classroom

The Jennies experienced plenty of success both on and off the court last season with seven MIAA Academic Honor Roll selections, for earning at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA.

Junior Kiersten Orton and freshman Shelby Winkelmann both won the MIAA Academic Excellence Award, which recognizes student-athletes with a 4.0 GPA. The award was the third for Orton.

MIAA Preseason Polls

After a second-place regular season finish a year ago, the Jennies debuted at No. 1 in the 2013-14 MIAA Preseason Media Poll, and No. 2 in the Coaches Poll. The Jennies enter the season ahead of Fort Hays State in both polls, after finishing ahead of the Tigers in the final 2012-13 MIAA Standings and eliminating FHSU in the MIAA Tournament semifinals. UCM tallied fewer votes than Emporia State in the preseason coaches poll, but garnered more points than the Lady Hornets in the preseason media poll. Washburn, who finished in first place in last year's regular season standings, but were eliminated in the MIAA Tournament semifinals by Emporia State, were picked to finish third in both the preseason coaches and media poll. Fort Hays State and Pittsburg State placed fourth and fifth to round out the top five teams in both polls.

UCM in the Polls

The Jennies rose one spot to No. 12 in this week's WBCA/USA Today Sports Division II Top 25 Coaches Poll. UCM garnered 608 points - a 19-point improvement from last week's rankings. UCM defeated both of its opponents last week, dropping Southwest Baptist at home and defeating Missouri Southern for the second time in a week in Joplin. The basketball program has appeared in the Top 25 for 27-consecutive weeks dating back to January 8 of last season. The Jennies are one of three MIAA schools in the Top 25 (Emporia State at No. 7, Fort Hays State at No. 24). Emporia State remains in the 7th spot, while Fort Hays State moves up one slot to 24th. UCM and Emporia State appear in the Top-25 for the 12th-straight week. The Jennies are 3-2 against teams currently in the Top 25 (wins against Minnesota State, Rollins College and Fort Hays State; losses against Harding and Emporia State).

UCM Program History

The UCM Jennies are 867-358 (.707) after 43 seasons, and 666-269 (.712) in the 31 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 Championship.

Series History with Lincoln

Central Missouri leads the all-time series, 48-2 and has won 18 of the last 19 meetings with the Blue Tigers ... The Jennies are 25-1 all-time against Lincoln in Warrensburg ... The Jennies have won four straight meetings against Lincoln.

A Win for the Jennies Would...

... give UCM its 19th win in the last 20 games with Lincoln ... give the Jennies their 13th conference win of the season ... be the 14th win in the last 15 games against unranked opponents ... extend the Jennies' win streak against Lincoln to five games ... give the Jennies double-digit home wins for the third straight season, the first time in the Dave Slifer era.

A Loss for the Jennies Would...

... be the fourth loss of the 2013-14 season ... drop the Jennies conference record to 12-3 ... be the first home loss to Lincoln since Dec. 14, 2011 ... mark the 200th loss for Dave Slifer in his head coaching career.

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.

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. 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.

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