Jennies Look for Seventh Straight Win Against Washburn

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Jan. 27, 2017) - Coming off of their thrilling overtime win against No. 7 Emporia State, Central Missouri Jennies Basketball goes for their seventh straight win Saturday afternoon against Washburn.

Opponent: Washburn Ichabods (13-6, 6-4 MIAA) - Saturday, Jan. 28, 1:30 p.m.

Where: Warrensburg, Mo. - UCM Multipurpose Building

How to Watch
Jennies 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. Video is available through Central Missouri's internet portal through Stretch Internet.

Tip Off
• Central Missouri plays its second of two home games Saturday against Washburn. The Jens defeated the No. 7 Lady Hornets 61-56 in overtime Wednesday night. 
• The Jennies have won six straight games and are 9-1 in the MIAA, tied for first place while the Ichabods are 7-2 in the league in fourth place.

Story Lines
• All-time, Washburn holds a 39-18 edge over the Jennies, and the Jens are 10-14 against the Ichabods when playing in Warrensburg. 
• The Jennies have won six of their first seven games to start the 2017 calendar year and six straight. UCM won 10 straight games to close out 2016, matching the longest winning streak under Coach Slifer.
• Central Missouri is starting gain some national attention. They cracked the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) top-25 this week, coming in at No. 19 with 94 votes. They also moved up in the Central Region in the Division II media poll to No. 7 this week.
• 2017 marks the third time in Coach Slifer's career starting off at least 16-2 in the regular season joining 2004-15 (18-2) and 2012-13 (21-2).

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
The Jennies picked up their six win in a row Wednesday against Emporia State. The Jens had to comeback from down 10 in the fourth quarter for a 61-56 overtime victory. Both team's defenses played well, with both teams shooting below 34%. Paige Redmond and Sydney Crockett each scored 16 points, Crockett scored all nine Jennies overtime points. Kelsey Williams scored 10 points for the third straight game. Kayonna Lee grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds and Ashley Duffy came down with 10.

Previously vs. Washburn
These two teams met three times last season with the road team securing the victory in all three. The lower seeded Jennies defeated Washburn 74-70 in the opening round of the MIAA Tournament. Similar to this season, the Jens needed to come back after trailing by seven at halftime. Five Jennies scored in double-figures led by Shelby Winkelmann's 22 points. Paige Redmond had her best game of the season scoring 16 points and going 5-for-7 from the field. 

Jennies at Home
Central Missouri is 6-1 in Warrensburg this season including 4-0 in MIAA home games. Their only loss came in their  season opener, 74-65 to Concordia-St. Paul. UCM averages 5.5 more points at home despite a lower shooting percentage. The biggest difference is in FT% where the Jens are 80.5% at home and 70.4% away. 

MIAA Leaders
Central Missouri's Paige Redmond is in a rare group. She is one of two in the MIAA in the league's top-10 in points per game (6th - 15.8), field goal percentage (8th - .463), free throw percentage (4th - .846), assists (5th - 4.1) and assist-to-turnover ratio (4th - 1.9). She is also shooting 38.8% from beyond the arc, but doesn't have enough makes to qualify for the MIAA leaderboard. The only other in the MIAA with those numbers, Kelly Moten of Emporia State. 

Redmond has also scored 464 career points with 285 coming this season. She is just 36 points away from reaching 500 career points.

Kayonna Lee is moving up in the top-five in rebounds in the conference. She's now third with 8.5 rebounds per game.

As a team, the Jennies are fifth in the conference in scoring with 73.4 points per game. They're allowing 57.2 points per game which is third in the conference. 

The Jennies are third in turnover margin at 5.22. Their opponents are averaging 18.1 turnovers per game, which is fifth in the MIAA and the Jens 12.9 turnovers are the second fewest in the league. Their 232 total turnovers are the fewest in the MIAA. 

Getting Defensive
After allowing their first three opponents to all reach at least 73 points, the Jennies defense has been among the best. Central Missouri has gone 14 straight games without an opponent reaching 70 points and in 13 of those 14, teams haven't even reached 60. The Jennies lead the MIAA in scoring defense in conference-only games, allowing 54.6 points against MIAA teams. 

Deep Dives
Central Missouri ranks third in the MIAA shooting 36.9% from behind the arc. Five Jennies have made at least 10 three-point field goals and three have hit 20 with Paige Redmond's 31 leading the way. In her last six games, Sydney Crockett has had the hot hand, shooting 50% (16-32) from three. On the defensive side, UCM held their last four opponents to just 11-62 from three, 17.7%. Their 26.1% three-point defensive percentage is tops in MIAA games. 

Whatever You Do, Don't Go Home Early
The Jennies are making a habit of putting up big numbers in the fourth quarter. Of their 1,324 points, 353 have come in the fourth, their most in any quarter and have allowed just 217, their fewest in any quarter. In second halves this season UCM is outscoring opponents by 204 points. That has helped them to multiple double-digit comebacks including Wednesday vs. Emporia State. The Jennies trailed by seven at halftime and by as many as 10 early in the fourth quarter, before a 13-2 run tied the game which UCM won in overtime. 

Scouting the Opposition
Washburn Ichabods
• Washburn, winners o six of their last nine games comes to Warrensburg tied for fifth in the MIAA with a 6-4 record and are 13-6 overall. 
• While the Ichabods have been great at home, they are just 5-3 away from Lee area including 1-0 in neutral site games. 
• Washburn ranks in the middle of the pack in both scoring offense and defense. They are ninth in scoring offense with 67 points per game. They are also allowing 59.1 points per game. The numbers get closer in conference games, scoring 62.2 points per MIAA contest and allowing 62.4.
• Three Ichabods are scoring more than 10 points per game. Alyxis Bowens leads the team with 11.2 points per game. She is also the team's top rebounder with 128 total and 6.7 per game. Bowens has scored 10+ points in eight of her last nine games, including scoring 28 against Peru State and is shooting 59.7% from the field.  
• Jharian Bowen is scoring 10.8 points per game and Erika Lane 10.5. Lane also leads the team with 63 assists and is second with 4.7 rebounds per game.  
• Washburn is near the bottom of the league shooting 31.3% from three and 68.2 from the free throw line, ranking 10th in both. 
• Bowens is third in the MIAA checking in 31 blocks and 1.6 blocks per game. The Ichabods have blocked 61 shots this season while have only been blocked 44 times. 
• Turnovers have been a problem for Washburn, committing 306 while forcing just 271. That -1.84 turnover margin is the third worst in the MIAA. When they do force a turnover, Reagan Phelan leads the team with 25 steals while Bowens has 24 and Lane 23.