TAHLEQUAH, Okla. (Feb. 4, 2017) – After a back-and-forth first quarter, the No. 14 Central Missouri Jennies took the game over in the second quarter and never looked back, on their way to a 75-54 win over Northeastern State. The Jennies salvaged the trip to Oklahoma after dropping Thursday's game to No. 8 Central Oklahoma and stand at 18-3 on the season and 11-2 in the MIAA.
The Jennies outscored the RiverHawks by 16 points in the second quarter, 24-8, making a two-point lead after one, an 18-point halftime advantage, 49-31. The defense clamped down after that, allowing just 23 second half points and cruised to a 75-54 win.
Megan Skaggs scored a career-high 20 points and Paige Redmond added 17 points, including her 500th career point as the Jennies shot 51.9% from the field. Ashley Duffy chipped in with 11 points and Kayonna Lee grabbed eight rebounds.
Defensively, the Jens held the RiverHawks to just 35.3% from the floor and just 27.5% after the first quarter. The Jennies forced 10 NSU turnovers and blocked five shots, two from Sydney Skaggs.
The Jennies jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the first, but Northeastern State quickly responded and took a 20-15 lead with just over three minutes left in the frame. That's when the Jens started on a 34-11 stretch over 13 minutes to take control. Kendra Gladbach gave the Jennies the lead for good, hitting a three in the final seconds of the first quarter, putting UCM up 25-23.
From there, the lead continued to build as the Jens shot 70.4% (19-27) from the field in the first half and 58.3% from three (7-12). Neither team shot the ball all that well in the second half, but the Jennies defense kept the lead in double-figures the rest of the game.
Northeastern State was led by Mary Jane Buschmann who scored 15 points. Rylie Torrey added 13 points.
Central Missouri wraps up their MIAA-long three game road trip Wednesday, February 8 at currently 11th-ranked Pittsburg State. Tip-off from Pittsburg, Kan. is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
