Tip Off
• 2015 marks the 46th year of UCM Jennies Basketball.
• Central Missouri is 10-16 overall and 9-12 in the MIAA, putting them in 10th place in the conference standings. With one games left, UCM has clinched a spot in the MIAA Tournament
• Missouri Western is 25-2 this season and 19-2 in the MIAA, and clinched a share of the regular season championship.

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 Griffons met in December in Warrensburg, with MWSU taking an 78-55 win.
• UCM is 34-28 all time against the Griffons and coach Dave Slifer is 16-7 facing the Griffons.
• The Jennies win over Lindenwood Wednesday night snapped a three game losing streak.
• 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 snapped a three-game losing streak with a road win at Lindenwood, 76-59 Wednesday night. The Jennies saw four score in double-figures led by Shelby Winkelmann's 18. Ashley Jones recorded her ninth double-double of the season with 13 points and 14 rebounds. The Jennies got on top early with a 22-15 lead after one period, but the Lions tied the game on a three as the first half buzzer sounded, 37-37. With the score tied at 50, UCM used a 7-0 stretch to regain the lead and never looked back on their way to the 15-point win.

Previously vs. Missouri Western
Missouri Western was Central Missouri's first MIAA opponent of the season and will also be their last. The two teams met back on Dec. 2 with the Griffons taking a 78-55 win in Warrensburg. The Jennies struggled from the start scoring just eight first period points and were never able to pose a threat against MWSU. LaQuinta Jefferson scored a game-high 16 points and Sarafina Handy was 3-for-7 from three. The Jennies, without Winkelmann or Jones, were held to 55 points. Sydney Crockett was UCM's leading scorer with 13 and Danielle Barry posted 11 points.

Jennies on the Road
The Jennies are finished with home games this season, ending with a 6-6 mark and 5-6 in conference games. The Jens play their final game on the road at Missouri Western. UCM is 4-8 away from Warrensburg this year and 4-6 in MIAA road contests following their win in St. Charles on Wednesday.

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 19.5 points per game and sixth in shooting percentage at 48.3% (173-358). Her 19.5 points per game is 18th in the country. She is also sixth in the conference with 1.8 steals and ninth with 3.4 assists per game in the MIAA.

Earlier this season, Winkelmann cracked 1,000 career points. She is currently 15th all-time with 1,328. Next up for Winkelmann to catch is Robin Williams who played from 1986-1990 and scored 1,337 career points. She needs to score 90 more points to crack the UCM top-10.

Senior Ashley Jones is at the top of the conference in a pair of categories. With 9.0 rebounds per game, she sits second in the MIAA and is 83rd in NCAA Division II. Her 57.1% shooting percentage is also currently second in the MIAA. She's gone 129-226 from the field this season. At 57.1%, Jones ranks 18th in shooting percentage in all of Division II. She's also shooting 59.2% (109-184) in conference games.

Finally Ashley Duffy is the MIAA leader in steals with 2.2 per game and 56 total steals. She picked up 11 swipes last week including a career-high six against Missouri Southern.

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 8-1. When they are outrebounded, they have lost 13 of 14. In the Jennies win over Lindenwood Wednesday, UCM held a 38-30 edge in rebounding, helped out by 14 from Jones.

Magic Number
The number 70 has been a good prognostication of a Jennies win or loss this season. UCM is 8-3 this season when scoring 70 points. However they are also 3-9 when allowing opponents to reach 70 points. UCM scored 76 against Lindenwood and held the Lions under 60 points. It was their first time holding an opponent below 60 points since they lost to Washburn 59-54, January 27.

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 43.2% from the floor.

Scouting the Opposition
Missouri Western
Overall Record: 25-2
Conference Record: 19-2 (MIAA)
Series History: Jennies lead 34-28
Last Meeting: Dec. 2, 2015 - MWSU 78, UCM 55 - Warrensburg, Mo.
Head Coach: Rob Edmisson (66-42, fourth season)

• The Griffons are ranked seventh in the latest WBCA poll. They are 25-2 and 19-2 in the MIAA. They have won their last seven games. Their last loss came Feb. 27 to Pittsburg State.
• Wednesday Missouri Western clinched at least a share of the MIAA regular season championship with a 67-57 win over Washburn in St. Joseph, Mo.
• Three Griffons are scoring in double-figures this season. LaQuinta Jefferson leads the team and the MIAA averaging 21.8 points per game. She is also second in the NCAA in scoring and is third in the MIAA shooting 54% from the floor.
• In addition to Jefferson, Sarafina Handy and Miliakere Koyamainavure are in double figures. Handy is scoring 14.5 points per game and is shooing an MIAA leading 44.5% from three this season. Koyamainavure is at 12 points per game and second on the team with 138 rebounds.
• Chelsea Dewey leads the team handing out 3.6 assists per game. She has 105 of the team's 414 assists this season.
• The Griffons are the second-best shooting team in the country. At 50.2% from the field they trail only Lubbock Christian who is shooting 51.3%. Missouri Western is also fifth in the country in three-point shooting percentage at 40.1% which puts them at the top of the MIAA.
• Missouri Western is very opportunistic when it comes to defense. They are 19th in the country and second in the MIAA with 288 steals. They're 5.85 turnover margin is fifth in the nation, showing their penchant to hold onto the ball.
• The Griffons score a number of points at the free throw line, having made an MIAA second-best 455. Unfortunately that number could be much higher since they are 11th in the MIAA shooting 72.8% from the charity stripe.
• Mhykeah Baez leads the Griffons in blocks. She has 29 of the team's 79 this season.