LAS VEGAS - Central Missouri Jennies Basketball fell in their 2015-16 season opener to Northwest Nazarene, 88-63.
The Jennies had a one-point halftime lead, 37-36, but couldn't hang on as the Crusaders outscored UCM 34-13 in the fourth quarter.
Freshman
Sydney Crockett led the Jennies scoring 14 points going 5-for-11 from the field and 3-of-5 from three. Senior
Tayler Weiks and junior
Cierra Gaines both scored 12 points and senior
Danielle Randle scored a career-high 11 points. Gaines also led the Jennies with seven rebounds. Senior
Ashley Jones finished with six points and six rebounds.
Rebounding played a major role in the game as the Crusaders out-rebounded the Jennies 61 to 28. Northwest Nazarene also outscored UCM 36-18 in the paint and 18-8 on second-chance points.
Northwest Nazarene scored the first 10 points of the game. The Jennies finally got on the board at the 7:22 mark of the first quarter on a three-pointer from
Ashley Duffy.
Central Missouri began chipping away at the lead, and took their first lead of the game, 37-36, with 1:17 remaining in the half, on a three from Weiks. Weiks extended the Jennies lead to four with another trey to open up the third quarter, giving UCM their largest lead of the game, 40-36.
The Jens remained in the lead for most of the third quarter until a Crusader three from Kelli Christenson, gave NNU a 48-45 lead. The Crusaders never trailed for the rest of the game and took a 54-50 lead into the final frame, and were on their way to an 88-63 win.
UCM has one final game in the City of Lights, Sunday morning against Minnesota-St. Moorhead. Tip off is scheduled for 10:30 a.m. CT.
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