Jennies Quarterfinal Round Matchup Thursday vs. Pitt State

Tip Off
• 2015-16 marks the 46th year of UCM Jennies Basketball.
• Central Missouri finished the regular season at 10-17 and 9-13 in the MIAA. As the #10 seed, they defeated #7 Washburn 74-70 in the MIAA Play-In game Monday night.
• Pittsburg State went 24-4 during the regular season and 18-4 in the conference. They earned the second seed in the MIAA Tournament and received a bye in the opening round.

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 Gorillas split the regular season with the road team winning each game.
• UCM is 30-21 all time against the Gorillas and coach Dave Slifer is 12-10 facing PSU.
• Central Missouri is 39-25 all-time in MIAA Tournament games and 2-0 in play-in games.
• Head Coach Dave Slifer won his 600th career game in the 2015 MIAA quarterfinal win over Missouri Southern. He is 611-220 lifetime as a coach and 227-128 at UCM. His 611 wins are the sixth-most among active Division II Head Coaches. He is also just one win 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 overcame a 12-point second quarter deficit to defeat #7 Washburn in the MIAA Play-In game. The Jens trailed by two after three periods, but outscored the Ichabods 19-13 and held them off the scoreboard in the final 3:17 of the game. All five Jennies starters scored in double-figures led by Shelby Winkelmann's 22. Paige Redmond matched a career-high with 16 points on 5-for-7 shooting and Ashley Jones poured in 11. Tayler Weiks and Ashley Duffy each scored 10. The Jennies helped themselves committing just six turnovers in the game.

Previously vs. Pittsburg State
The Jennies held an 11 point lead after 10 minutes against the then-19th ranked Gorillas. Pittsburg State cut that lead to four going into the half and took their first lead early in the second half. PSU built a double-digit lead of their own only to see it evaporate as the Jens tied the game at 50 in the fourth. PSU went on a run in the middle of the fourth and time ran out on the Jennies who fell 68-64. Earlier in January, the Jennies gave PSU their last loss, an 87-69 score in Pittsburg. Winkelmann had a 28 point, 10 assist double-double as the Jens shot 50.8% from the floor.

Jennies at Neutral Sites
The Jennies have played only two neutral site games all year, their first two in Las Vegas. UCM lost both of those to Northwest Nazarene and Minnesota State-Moorhead.

Jennies in the MIAA Tournament
Since the 1982-83 season, the Jennies are 39-25 all-time in the MIAA Tournament. They have won seven MIAA Tournament titles in their history, their last coming in 1990. Under Head Coach Dave Slifer, UCM is 13-11 in the MIAA Tournament. They have met Pittsburg State five times in the MIAA Tournament and are 3-2 in those 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 19.8 points per game and seventh in shooting percentage at 49.1% (189-395). Her 19.8 points per game is 19th in the country. She is also tenth with 3.3 assists per game in the MIAA.

Earlier this season, Winkelmann cracked 1,000 career points. She is currently 13th all-time with 1,374. Next up for Winkelmann to catch is Lori Nichols who played from 1998-02 and scored 1,375 career points. She needs to score 44 more points to crack the UCM top-10.

Senior Ashley Jones is at the top of the conference in a pair of categories. With 8.8 rebounds per game, she sits second in the MIAA and is 69th in NCAA Division II. Her 56.0% shooting percentage is also currently second in the MIAA. She's gone 135-241 from the field this season. At 56.0%, Jones ranks 19th in shooting percentage in all of Division II. She's also shooting 58.1% (111-191) in conference games.

Finally Ashley Duffy is the MIAA leader in steals with 2.1 per game and 56 total steals. .

Beating a Trend
This season the winner of the rebounding battle has usually been the winner of UCM's games. Central Missouri bucked that trend against Washburn Monday night. Going into the game the Jennies were 1-14 when outrebounded. That is now 2-14 after the Ichabods held a 35-22 rebounding edge. The Jennies are also 8-1 when winning the battle of the boards. The only other game where the Jennies lost the rebounding advantage but won the game was at Drury.

Magic Numbers
The number 70 has been a good prognostication of a Jennies win or loss this season. UCM is 9-3 this season when scoring 70 points. However they are also 4-10 when allowing opponents to reach 70 points. UCM scored 74 against Washburn Monday night to advance in the MIAA Tournament.

The third quarter has been the Jennies best this year. It is the only one where they are outscoring opponents, 535-431. Monday, UCM started their comeback in the third, cutting a seven-point lead down to two with 10 minutes to play.

Scouting the Opposition
Pittsburg State Gorillas
Overall Record: 24-4
Conference Record: 18-4 (MIAA)
Series History: Jennies lead 30-21
Last Meeting: Feb. 17, 2016 - PSU 68, UCM 64 - Warrensburg, Mo.
Head Coach: Lane Lord (193-167, 13th season)

• The Gorillas are one of the hottest teams in the country right now, currently riding a 10-game winning streak. They are ranked 16th in the WBCA Poll and haven't lost since Jan. 7 to the Jennies.
• This past week, Head Coach Lane Lord was named Co-MIAA Coach of the Year. Four Gorillas also received MIAA accolades. Kylie Gafford was named MIAA Defensive Player of the Year and to the All-MIAA Second Team. Mikaela Burgess took home First Team Honors while Cathy Brugman and Haydn Herlocker were Honorable Mention.
• Burgess, Gafford and Brugman are the Gorillas leading scorers, all with more than 12 points per game. Burgess leads the team and is third in the MIAA with 18.1 PPG. Gafford is scoring 13.7 PPG while Brugman is at 13.4.
• Brugman and Gafford have also been tremendous on the glass for PSU. Gafford has pulled down 162 rebouds and 5.8 per game. Brugman is at 4.6 rebounds per game with 125 boards. Hadyn Herlocker has secured 121 caroms (4.5/game)
• Gafford leads the top shot-blocking team in the MIAA. She has 50 blocks, leading the MIAA and is just one block away from setting a new school career record.
• Pitt State does a great job with ball security. They are fifth in the NCAA with just 11.5 turnovers per game. They've also committed the fifth fewest turnovers this season at 323.
• The Gorillas are one of the better shooting teams in the nation. PSU is sixth in the country in both free throws made (474) and FT% (78.2). They are first in the MIAA in free throw percentage and Brugman and Burgess are 1-2 in the MIAA.
• From beyond the arc, PSU is shooting 36.4%, 27th in the NCAA and third in the MIAA. They are also 33rd in the nation and third in the conference with 211 made three pointers. Mikaela Burgess is 83-202 this season from deep, 41.1%.
• Haydn Herlocker is the Gorilla's leader with 125 assists, second in the MIAA. Herlocker also is second in the nation in assist to turnover ratio at 3.57.