Jennies Host Senior Day Saturday at the Multi

Tip Off
• 2015 marks the 46th year of UCM Jennies Basketball.
• Central Missouri is 9-15 overall and 8-11 in the MIAA, putting them in 10th place in the conference standings. With three games left, UCM has clinched a spot in the MIAA Tournament
• Missouri Southern is 16-10 this season and 10-10 in the MIAA.

On the Air
• Central Missouri basketball is broadcast live on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar, and online at
warrensburgradio.com. Games are broadcast by 1450 KOKO/98.5 The Bar Sports Director, Greg Hassler and Assistant Director for Media Relations, Mike Knipper. Video is also available through Central Missouri's internet portal through Stretch Internet, found at UCMathletics.com

Story Lines
• The Jennies and Lions met in January in Pittsburg, with the Lions taking a 62-59 win.
• Central Missouri will be hosting senior day with festivities prior to the game. UCM will be honoring their five seniors - Danielle Barry, Ashley Jones, Danielle Randle, Tayler Weiks and Shelby Winkelmann.
• Head Coach Dave Slifer won his 600th career game in the 2015 MIAA quarterfinal win over Missouri Southern. He is 609-220 lifetime as a coach and 225-121 at UCM. His 609 wins are the sixth-most among active Division II Head Coaches. He is also three wins shy of tying Coach Jon Pye's 228 wins for the most in UCM history.
• The Jennies went 21-9 last season and played in the MIAA semifinal game. They were 13-6 in conference games, finishing fifth in the regular season standings.

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
Central Missouri raced out to a 26-15 lead after one period Wednesday night against No. 19 Pittsburg State, but couldn't hold on, falling 68-64 in Warrensburg. UCM's comeback fell short at the end as the Gorillas hit all six of their free throws in the final minutes. Shelby Winkelmann scored a team-high 20 points and Tayler Weiks and Ashley Duffy each chipped in 12 points.

Jennies at Home
Saturday marks the final home game for the Jennies in 2016. The team is 6-5 this season at home and 5-5 in MIAA home games.

Conference Leaders
A couple of Jennies are trending towards the top of the rankings in the MIAA. Senior Shelby Winkelmann is second in the MIAA scoring with 19.1 points per game and sixth in shooting percentage at 48.3% (154-319). She is also fourth with 1.9 steals and ninth with 3.5 assists per game in the MIAA.

Earlier this season, Winkelmann cracked 1,000 career points. She is currently 15th all-time with 1,281. Next up for Winkelmann to catch is Robin Williams who played from 1986-1990 and scored 1,337 career points.

Senior Ashley Jones is at the top of the conference in a pair of categories. With 8.8 rebounds per game, she sits third in the MIAA and is 75th in NCAA Division II. Her 56.3% shooting percentage is currently second in the MIAA. She's gone 116-206 from the field this season. At 56.3%, Jones ranks 16th in shooting percentage in all of Division II. She's also shooting 58.5% (96-164) in conference games.

Finally Ashley Duffy is the MIAA leader in steals with 2.0 per game and 48 total steals.

Tumultuous Second Periods
The second period of games has not been kind to the Jennies this season. UCM is being outscored in second periods 412-342, a difference of 70 points. The Jens have been slow out of the gates, being out scored in first halves by 77 points. Though the Jennies usually come out strong to start the second half, trailing at the half has not been a recipe for success. Central Missouri is 2-12 when trailing at the midway mark. When leading at halftime, the Jennies are 7-3, thanks in part to being able to extend the lead as they're outscoring their opponents 463-373 in third quarters. Pittsburg State began their comeback in the second period Wednesday night, outscoring UCM 16-9 in the frame.

Predicting a Winner
This season there has been nearly one sure-fire way to determine if the Jennies won or lost and that comes down to rebounding. When the Jennies are on the plus side of the rebounding battle, UCM is 7-1. When they are outrebounded, they have lost 13 of 14. Those numbers remained true against Pittsburg State as the Gorillas held a 32-27 edge.

Magic Number
The number 70 has been a good prognostication of a Jennies win or loss this season. UCM is 7-2 this season when scoring 70 points. However they are also 3-8 when allowing opponents to reach 70 points. The Jennies dropped 86 points last Wednesday against Washburn, their second highest total of the season.

Bucking the Trend
Typically a low opponent shooting percentage should produce positive results. However that has not been the case for the Jennies this season. When opponents shoot lower than 40% from the field, the Jennies are just 3-5 in those games. The Jens are also 2-2 when their opponent shoots 50% or better. For the season, UCM is allowing opponents to shoot 42.9% from the floor.

20-20 Vision
With their 21 wins in 2014-15, UCM has now won at least 20 games in four straight seasons. It is their longest such stretch since the Jens went 11 straight years with at least 20 wins from 1981-82 - 1991-92.

Scouting the Opposition
Missouri Southern Lions
Overall Record: 16-10
Conference Record: 10-10 (MIAA)
Series History: Jennies lead 37-22
Last Meeting: Jan. 9, 2016 - MSSU 62, UCM 59 - Joplin, Mo.
Head Coach: Ronda Hubbard (55-26, third season)

• The Lions are 16-9 this season and 10-9 in the MIAA. They are in seventh place in the conference and have clinched a spot in the MIAA Tournament.
• Sharese Jones is the Lions leading scorer this season. At 17.4 points per game, she is also fifth in the MIAA. She is first in the conference in the free throws made and attempted. With 149 made free throws, she is also fifth in the NCAA. She's shooting 84.7% from the charity stripe which is fifth in the conference.
• Right behind Jones is Deb Holcomb who is scoring 15.4 points per game. She leads the team having made 56 three pointers and is fifth in the MIAA connecting on 40.9% of her three point attempts.
• Jones is also the team's leading rebounder with 6.8 per game. She has 171 rebounds this season. The Lions secure just 33.5 boards per game, 12th in the conference.
• Kenya Wilson-Brown leads the Lions handing out 4.2 assists per game. She is also one of only five student-athletes in the conference with over 100 assists with 104.
• Missouri Southern is one of the better three point shooting teams in the MIAA. MSSU is third in the conference with a 36.1% three point percentage which is also 32nd in the country.
• The Lions defense has been keeping them in games all season long. MSSU is holding opponents to 59.8 points per game this season, third in the MIAA and 50th in the country.
• Missouri Southern has 34 more steals than their opponents and has forced opponents into 392 turnovers. Wilson-Brown is the Lions leader with 42 steals. She is one of six Lions with double-figure steals. Behind Wilson-Brown is Holcomb with 33 steals and Jones who has 22.