WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Nov. 11, 2016) - The 2016-17 Central Missouri women's basketball season got underway Friday afternoon in Warrensburg. Throughout a close game with Concordia-St. Paul, the Jennies couldn't complete their comeback bid and fell 74-65 to the Golden Bears.
The score remained within two points after a pair of
Kayonna Lee free throws with 2:30 left to play. Unfortunately the Jennies didn't score the remainder of the game and the Golden Bears hit five of eight free-throw attempts in the final 30 seconds to clinch the win.
Freshman
Morgan Fleming scored 12 points in her first game as a Jennie. Fleming, along with
Ashley Duffy, led the Jennies with 12 points. Fleming was 5-for-10 for the game while Duffy hit three triples, all in the first half. Lee, also in her first game at UCM, grabbed a game-high 16 rebounds, which matched the Jennies individual high for all of the 2015-16 season. Lee was also in double figures with 10 points.
Concordia outshot the Jennies, making 51% of their field goal attempts to UCM's 26.6%. Central Missouri stayed close by making 27-of-29 free throw attempts, including their first 18 in a row.
A fast-paced first period saw CSP take an eight point lead, 14-6, only to have the Jennies come back and go ahead by two, 20-18, after a bucket from Lee with 11 seconds remaining. It was the Jennies first lead of the game, which they held throughout most of the second frame. Trailing 34-30 with two and a half minutes remaining, Concordia ripped off 10 straight points to close the half and regain the lead for good.
The Jens scored the first six points of the second half, getting two free throws from Redmond and back-to-back layups from Fleming to tie, but Golden Bears responded, going up by as many as nine and taking a five-point lead into the final period.
Central Missouri kept it at a one-possession game for much of the fourth quarter, but couldn't break through to take the lead and Golden Bears sealed the win, holding UCM scoreless over the final 2:30 of the game.
Mishayla Jones led all scorers with 20 points for the Golden Bears, she hit two of CSP's eight three-pointers as Concordia was 8-of-17 beyond the arc. Anna Schmitt (11 points) and Caitlyn Russell (10) were also in double-figures for Concordia. Schmitt and Kyrah Fredenburg shared the team lead with seven rebounds. Schmitt also dished out a game-high six assists.
Central Missouri is right back at it tomorrow night as they host Minot State at the Multi. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.
