WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 22, 2017) - For the No. 21 ranked Central Missouri Jennies Basketball team, the 27-game regular season comes to a close this week. They'll play once more on the road and once more at home as a final tune up for the MIAA Championships. In their regular season finale on Saturday, the Jens will honor their two seniors in a pre-game ceremony. 

Opponents: at Missouri Southern (12-15, 7-11 MIAA) - Thursday, February 23, 5:30 p.m.
vs. No. 7 Pittsburg State (24-3, 16-2 MIAA) - Saturday, February 25, 1:30 p.m. - Senior Day

Where: at MIssouri Southern - Joplin, Mo. - Leggett and Platt Athletic Center
             vs. Pittsburg State - 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
• With one week remaining, UCM is tied for 2nd in the MIAA standings with Emporia State. They are guaranteed a spot in Kansas City for the MIAA Tournament and a top-four seed. 
• The Jennies meet the Lions and Gorillas for the second time in two weeks. UCM defeated Missouri Southern 74-47 at home, while losing 68-60 at Pittsburg State. 

Story Lines
• By earning a top-four seed in the MIAA Tournament, the Jennies receive a bye in the opening round. They are currently tied for second with Emporia State at 13-4, though are 1-0 against the Lady Hornets this season. If PSU loses earlier this week vs. Missouri Southern, the regular season finale Saturday could be for a share of the conference crown. 
• UCM is honoring two seniors, Andee Wahlert and Ashley Duffy pre-game Saturday. 

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
Central Missouri nearly pulled off a miraculous 17-point second-half comeback against Lindenwood Saturday afternoon in Warrensburg. The Jens trailed by as much as 17 on three separate occasions and by 12 in the fourth quarter. UCM actually did take the lead at one point with nine seconds to play, 67-66, only for Lindenwood to score a layup and an "and-one" at the other end with two seconds left to seal the victory. Paige Redmond scored 19 points and Megan Skaggs 18. Kelsey Williams dished out eight assists and scored 15 points. 

Previously vs. Missouri Southern/Pittsburg State
Central Missouri handled the Lions when they visited Warrensburg two weeks ago. The Jens ran away in the second and third quarters, outscoring the Lions 45-22 in that 20 minute span of their 74-47 win. UCM kept things close with No. 10 Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, as it was still a one-possession game midway through the fourth quarter. After PSU had missed 20 straight three pointers, their shots finally started to fall and they were able to pull away late and hang on for a 68-60 win. 

Jennies in the Rankings
For the fifth week, Central Missouri is ranked in the WBCA top-25. They fell five spot to No. 22 this week. In this week's NCAA regional rankings, the Jennies are eighth. The top-eight make the NCAA Central Regional Championships.

Jennies at Home/on the Road
On the road this season, UCM is 8-3 and 6-3 in MIAA road games. The regular season finale will be at the Multi where the Jennies are 9-2 and 7-1 in MIAA games. The loss to Lindenwood was their first home loss since the season opener.

MIAA Leaders
Central Missouri's Paige Redmond is in a rare group. She is one of only two players in the MIAA in the top-10 in points per game (6th - 16.1), field goal percentage (6th - .448), free throw percentage (6th - .837), assists (5th - 3.8) and assist to turnover ratio (7th - 1.7:1). She is also shooting 39.3% from beyond the arc, but doesn't have enough makes to qualify for the MIAA leaderboard. Against Northeastern State, Redmond scored her 500th career point. 

Also near 500 career points is Ashley Duffy. She is 42 points shy of the milestone. 

Kayonna Lee sits fourth in the league with 8.8 rebounds per game.

The Jennies are third in turnover margin at 5.04. Their opponents are averaging 17.2 turnovers per game, which is third in the MIAA and the Jens 12.2 turnovers are the second fewest in the league and seventh fewest in the NCAA. 

On the offensive end, Central Missouri is fourth in the MIAA shooting 36% from behind the arc. They are also sixth in the league 73.7% at the free throw line. 

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 22 straight games without an opponent reaching 70 points and in 17 of those 22, teams have been held to 60 points or below. The Jennies lead the MIAA in scoring defense in conference-only games, allowing 57.2 points against MIAA teams. The closest team, Emporia State, is allowing 59.6 points to MIAA teams. Nationally, the Jennies rank 31st in scoring defense and 28th in scoring margin at +13.4.

Whatever You Do, Don't Go Home Early
The Jennies love putting on shows in the fourth quarter. Of their 1,654 points, 464 have come in the fourth quarter, their most in any quarter, and have allowed just 318, their fewest in any quarter. That has helped them to five fourth-quarter comebacks this season, and nearly six as they fell just short overcoming a 12-point deficit vs. Lindenwood. 

Senior Day
Saturday, Central Missouri will honor their two graduating seniors, Ashley Duffy and Andee Wahlert with a pre-game ceremony. Wahlert is a four-year Jennie who has appeared in 102 games. She's scored 107 points in her career and dished out 113 assists. Duffy joined UCM in 2015-16 and has played in 51 games. She has 458 career points and 56 made three-point field goals.

Scouting the Opposition
Missouri Southern Lions
• Missouri Southern has lost six of their last seven games and have fallen to 7-11 in the MIAA this season, but still have a chance to host a first-round game. Thursday night is their season finale and the Lions are 7-5 at home. 
• Despite the sub-.500 record, the Lions are one of the top scoring teams in the MIAA with 70.2 points per game. They are however the second-worst scoring defense in the league, giving up an average of 72.4 points per game. 
• Unfortunately for the Lions, they lost their top scorer for the season in Deb Holcomb. She was leading the team in points per game at 15.6 at the time of her injury, which was top-10 in the MIAA. 
• Now, the Lions rely on Desirea Buerge. She's scoring 12.1 points per game while shooting 48% and 40.5% from three and has a team-best 155 rebounds. Chelsey Henry scores 9.8 points per game and Jenson Maydew scores 8.0 and grabs 5.8 boards per contest. 
• The Missouri Southern defense allows offenses to shoot 45.9% from the floor which is the worst in the MIAA and 302nd out of 307 teams ranked in the NCAA. 
• The Lions have been turning the ball over 15.4 times per game this season which is the fifth worst in the the MIAA. 
• Missouri Southern has been shooting the ball with success though, especially from three, where they are sixth in the MIAA, shooting 34.3%. They are also fifth at the charity stripe, shooting 74.3%. Both of those numbers have gone down though with Holcomb out of the lineup.
• The Lions are middle of the pack in both steals and blocks. They're 11th in the league with 6.74 steals per game and ninth averaging 2.7 blocks per game.  

Pittsburg State Gorillas
• Missouri Southern has lost six of their last seven games and have fallen to 7-11 in the MIAA this season, but still have a chance to host a first-round game. Thursday night is their season finale and the Lions are 7-5 at home. 
• Despite the sub-.500 record, the Lions are one of the top scoring teams in the MIAA with 70.2 points per game. They are however the second-worst scoring defense in the league, giving up an average of 72.4 points per game. 
• Unfortunately for the Lions, they lost their top scorer for the season in Deb Holcomb. She was leading the team in points per game at 15.6 at the time of her injury, which was top-10 in the MIAA. 
• Now, the Lions rely on Desirea Buerge. She's scoring 12.1 points per game while shooting 48% and 40.5% from three and has a team-best 155 rebounds. Chelsey Henry scores 9.8 points per game and Jenson Maydew scores 8.0 and grabs 5.8 boards per contest. 
• The Missouri Southern defense allows offenses to shoot 45.9% from the floor which is the worst in the MIAA and 302nd out of 307 teams ranked in the NCAA. 
• The Lions have been turning the ball over 15.4 times per game this season which is the fifth worst in the the MIAA. 
• Missouri Southern has been shooting the ball with success though, especially from three, where they are sixth in the MIAA, shooting 34.3%. They are also fifth at the charity stripe, shooting 74.3%. Both of those numbers have gone down though with Holcomb out of the lineup.
• The Lions are middle of the pack in both steals and blocks. They're 11th in the league with 6.74 steals per game and ninth averaging 2.7 blocks per game.