WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Dec. 14, 2016) After a four week, 7-0 road trip, Central Missouri Jennies Basketball returns to the Multi to close out the 2016 calendar year.
Opponents: Southwest Baptist (7-2, 1-1 MIAA) - Saturday, Dec. 17, 1:30 p.m.
William Jewell (4-4, 2-1 GLVC) - Monday, Dec. 19, 5:30 p.m.
Where: Warrensburg, Mo. - UCM Multipurpose Building
How to Watch: Central Missouri basketball is broadcast live on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar, and online at warrensburgradio.com. Games this week are broadcast by 1450 KOKO/98.5 The Bar Sports Director, Greg Hassler. Video is also available through Central Missouri's internet portal through Stretch Internet.
Tip Off
• Central Missouri wraps up the 2016 calendar year with a pair of games at the Multi against MIAA foe Southwest Baptist and nonconference rival William Jewell.
• The match with William Jewell will be UCM's final nonconference match of the season.
• A win over SBU will give the Jennies just their second ever 3-0 start in MIAA play with Coach Slifer at the helm.
Story Lines
• Central Missouri is 53-13 all-time against the Bearcats and 26-6 in Warrensburg. SBU snapped a five-game Jennies winning streak last season with a 68-65 win in Bolivar.
• The Jennies are a perfect 9-0 all-time against William Jewell and 6-0 under Coach Slifer. Every game against the Cardinals has come in Warrensburg.
Quick Hits
Last Time Out
Central Missouri earned their second come-from-behind win in as many games, overcoming a 15-point deficit to defeat Northwest Missouri 61-55. The win is the Jennies eighth in a row and completed a perfect 7-0 road trip.
Paige Redmond led the Jennies scoring 20 points while
Morgan Fleming scored 14. UCM outscored the Bearcats 24-12 in the fourth quarter to complete the comeback.
Previously vs. Southwest Baptist/William Jewell
One of the Jennies final games of the 2015-16 season was at Southwest Baptist. The Bearcats snapped a five-game Jennies winning streak with a 68-65 win in Bolivar.
Ashley Jones recorded a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds.
Shelby Winkelmann scored 16 points and
Ashley Duffy 14, with a pair of three-pointers.
Central Missouri's only nonconference win of 2015-16 came against William Jewell. The Jens defeated the Cardinals 80-70 in Warrensburg in mid-November.
Shelby Winkelmann led all scorers with 24 points and
Ashley Jones scored 17 points while grabbing 16 rebounds.
Jennies at Home
Central Missouri's first two games of the season came at home, but the Jens have been away from Warrensburg ever since. The Jennies dropped their season opener to Concordia-St. Paul before picking up a win over Minot State, leaving them at 1-1 this season in Warrensburg. Central Missouri finished 2015-16 6-6 in the Multi.
Inside the Winning Streak
Since dropping their first game of the season, Central Missouri has won eight in a row. It's their longest winning streak since winning nine straight in February and March of 2015. In four of the eight games, the Jens have reached 70 points, and have scored at least 89 points in three of those games. UCM has been doing it with defense as well, holding opponents below 60 points for six straight games.
MIAA Leaders
Central Missouri's
Paige Redmond is in a class all by herself. She is the only player in the MIAA to be in the top-10 in points per game (10th - 16.2), field goal percentage (7th - .500), three-point percentage (10th - .428) and free throw percentage (8th - .844).
Kayonna Lee remains in the MIAA top-five in rebounds per game with 7.6. Also in he conference top-five is
Ashley Duffy, shooting 44.4% from behind the arc.
As a team, the Jennies are third in the conference in scoring with 77.7 points per game. They just moved under allowing 60 points per game, 59.8 which is seventh in the league.
The Jennies are also in the top-three in turnover margin at 8.11. Their opponents are averaging 20 turnovers per game, also third in the MIAA and the Jens 11.9 turnovers are tied for the fewest in the league.
Ball Protection
In eight of nine games this season, UCM has been on the plus-side of the turnover battle. The Jennies are ranked seventh in the nation in fewest turnovers per game at 11.9. They're also 12th in turnover margin at plus-8.11.
Threes Company
The Jennies have not been shy about pulling the trigger when it comes to three-pointers. UCM has taken 199 3FG attempts this season, just a shade over 22 attempts per game, and their 37.7% on three's is 27th in the NCAA.
Come Early, Stay Late
Central Missouri's top two scoring periods this season have been the first and fourth. UCM has been getting off to raucous starts with 178 points in first quarters, outscoring their opponents by an average of 19.8-17.2. It is the fourth quarter though where the Jennies have done their most damage, outscoring opponents by a total of 80 points. In their last two fourth-quarter comebacks, UCM has scored 48 points while holding Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri to 25 between the two. For the season, the Jennies are outscoring opponents 360-235 in second halves.
Scouting the Opposition
Southwest Baptist Bearcats
• Southwest Baptist lost a five-game winning streak last week when Central Oklahoma earned a 73-61 win in the Bearcats first MIAA game of the season.
• SBU got the win right back, defeating Northeastern State 77-68 in their last game, Saturday night. The Bearcats are 1-1 in the MIAA and off to a 7-2 start to the season.
• Of the Bearcats nine games played, eight have come at home. SBU is 0-1 on the road this season, losing to Drury back in November.
• One of the things SBU has been one of the best at this season is finding the bottom of the net. They lead the MIAA and rank seventh in the nation in shooting percentage, connecting on 48% of their field goal attempts. SBU is also third in the MIAA shooting 76% from the free throw line.
• The Bearcats also have been one of the better rebounding teams in the league. They're No. 8 in the NCAA in rebounding margin at 11.8, which also ranks third in the MIAA. They've gathered 40.6 rebounds per game (365 total) to opponents 28.8 (259 total).
• Two Bearcats are scoring in double-figures this season led by Megan Rosenbohm's 15.7. Caylee Richardson is second with 11.8 and leads the club with 6.3 rebounds per game.
• Richardson is also one of three Bearcats shooting better than 50% on the season. At 63.8% she's second on the team behind Mackenzie Skupa's 65.9%. Aliyah Isaac has hit 55.6% of her field goals.
• Southwest Baptist is fourth in the MIAA blocking 4.11 shots per game. Kiana Paterson is fifth individually swatting away 1.4 shots per game and has 13 in nine games.
• SBU is prone to the turnover, giving it away 151 times this season. On the flip side, they're sixth in the MIAA with 15.78 assists/game. Alex Botkin leads the team in both categories - 28 turnovers, 29 assists.
William Jewell Cardinals
• William Jewell is off to a 4-4 start this season. Though they play in the GLVC, the Cardinals are 1-1 against MIAA competition, defeating Northwest Missouri earlier in the season and falling to Missouri Western.
• Out of 300 ranked teams in the NCAA, William Jewell is 275th in scoring offense, with just 57.6 points per game. Their defense has not been as bad, allowing 60.6 points per game, sixth in the GLVC.
• William Jewell has gone as far as Maddie Nelson has taken them this season. She leads the Cardinals with 14.1 points per game, 6.8 rebounds per game and 4.5 assists per game. She is in the GLVC top-five in scoring average and assists per game and leads the conference with three steals per game. Nelson had scored at least 12 points in each game before scoring just five in WJC's last game at Newman.
• Behind Nelson is Kayla Harrell averaging 8.9 points per game and Chris Keys scoring 8.5. Katie Finn and Adriana Rodriguez each average 7.8 points per game.
• Harrell has been William Jewell's sharpest shooter to this point. She is 24-56 from the floor for a shooting percentage of 43%. She also leads the team with 14 made triples and is shooting 40% from behind the arc.
• For a team that doesn't block a whole lot of shots, Harrell is also the team leader with three this season.
• William Jewell has done a better job of holding onto the ball than opponents, committing just 125 turnovers in eight games to opponents 158.
• In addition to Nelson's 24, the Cardinals have 83 total steals. Chris Keys (12) and Rhyann Fisher (11) are also in double-figure swipes.
