WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Jan. 28, 2017) - Central Missouri provided the drama Saturday afternoon, but sent the crowd home happy in a 64-63 comeback win over Washburn. For the second straight game, the Jens needed to come back from at least 10 points, after doing so Wednesday against Emporia State. Central Missouri moves to 10-1 in the MIAA and remains in a tie for first place with Central Oklahoma. It's also their eighth straight win and puts them at 17-2 overall.
Before the Jens could comeback in the fourth, they're required to play the first three quarters. The game started just as Wednesday night's ended.
Sydney Crockett scored the Jennies first eight points, just as she scored all nine overtime points against Emporia State. She finished with a game-high 17 points, connecting on five three-pointers, the most for a Jennie in a single game this season.
Washburn extended their lead after all of the first three quarters, going from four points after the first, to six at halftime and 10 heading into the fourth. UCM trailed by as much as 14 with 2:28 left to play in the third quarter. As they've shown before though, that doesn't bother them all that much, and Saturday was the Jens fifth fourth-quarter comeback win of the season.
It was Crockett who sparked the comeback on this day instead of finishing it. Her fifth triple in the final minute of the third started the Jennies on a 16-0 run, in which UCM took their first lead since the opening points of the game, Crockett's first three-pointer.
Trailing by 10 heading into the fourth for the second straight game, the Jens quickly turned that around, making up the difference in just over four minutes.
Ashley Duffy put the Jens up for good, driving and hitting an acrobatic layup with 5:57 to play. Duffy scored eight points but was a factor all over the court, coming up with four steals, three rebounds, two blocks and two assists.
Washburn didn't give up and kept it at a one-possession game the rest of the way.
Paige Redmond didn't have her best game, but a layup with 1:44 to play proved to be the difference. Erika Lane of Washburn made it a one-point game, 64-63, with 44 seconds left to play, hitting a long two. The Ichabods got the ball back with a chance to win with a basket after
Kayonna Lee missed a layup and didn't get a foul call.
On the Ichabod inbound, Lane again saw an opening and fired a long-two, but she was off the mark and
Megan Skaggs came down with the rebound to preserve the win.
Four Jennies finished in double-figures. In addition to Crockett, Redmond and Skaggs each scored 11 and Lee recorded her fifth double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Redmond dished out a career-high eight assists while
Kelsey Williams added four helpers and seven points. Central Missouri shot 38.3% from the field and 36.8% from three while hitting 11-of-15 free throws.
The Jens defense came up big when it mattered. They forced 18 Ichabod turnovers including five in the fourth quarter, and turned that into 27 points. UCM committed a season-low seven turnovers themselves.
Washburn held the Jennies in check under the basket, winning the rebounding battle 42-26. They scored 32 points in the paint and 22 second-chance points. Jharian Bowen matched Crockett's 17 points for a game high. Like Crockett, she also hit five three-pointers. Alyxis Bowens scored 15 and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for a double-double. The Ichabods shot 42.6% from the field, but just 15.4% in the fourth quarter. They also shot 36.8% from three and finished a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line.
After finishing the month of January 8-1, the calendar flips to February. The Jennies will embark on a three-game road trip to start the month, beginning with tenth-ranked Central Oklahoma Thursday, February 2nd. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
