PITTSBURG, Kan. (Feb. 8, 2017) - Kelsey Williams scored a career-high 20 points, but it wasn't enough for No. 15 Central Missouri to take down the No. 10 Pittsburg State Gorillas. The Jennies had chances late to tie, but the Gorillas pulled away with a 68-60 win. The loss moves UCM to 11-3 in the MIAA and 18-4 on the year.

The Jennies started out hot, opening the game on a 9-2 run and forcing a Gorilla timeout. Paige Redmond scored five of her 20 points and Kayonna Lee four of her 10 in the first four minutes of the game. Following the timeout, the Gorillas started to find the bottom of the net. They hit on 4-of-5 three point attempts in the first period, and used a 21-9 run to close the quarter ahead by five, 23-18.

Redmond and Williams accounted for two-thirds of the Jennies points. Williams was 6-for-10 from the field, and added to her point total by knocking down 8-of-10 free throw attempts. Redmond was the only Jennie to connect from beyond the arc, going 4-for-8, while the rest of the squad was 0-for-7. She finished the game 7-for-17.

Kayonna Lee picked up her eighth double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and securing 11 rebounds. But it was the rebounds the Jennies didn't get that mattered most. Pitt State won the rebounding battle 38-33 and outscored UCM 16-10 in second-chance points. 

After a hot first quarter, things slowed down in the middle of the game. Pittsburg State went ice cold from beyond the arc in the second and third quarters, shooting a combined 0-for-20. Meanwhile, Central Missouri went nearly six minutes between field goals in the second quarter, and at halftime things hadn't changed from after the first 10 minutes, Pittsburg State still held a five-point lead, 36-31.

In the second-half, Central Missouri cut the lead to three on eight different occasions, but could not get any closer. Williams, who scored 10 of her 20 points in the third quarter, did her best to keep UCM in the ballgame. She was crossing-up defenders and getting to the hoop with regularity. She personally got UCM back to a one-possession game on four of those eight occasions. 

With just seconds remaining in the third though, Williams again took it to the hole, looking to bring UCM to within one, but her layup rattled out as time expired. 

Central Missouri still trailed by only three with 5:30 left in the game. Redmond scored the first seven points for UCM in the fourth. But it was only a matter of time before the Gorilla three-pointers would start to fall. After missing 20 straight, PSU went 4-for-6 from behind the arc in the fourth, and was able to put the Jennies away. A three-point play from Megan Skaggs kept UCM within six, but a triple at the other end from Paige Lungwitz with 1:09 left to play was the final dagger. 

Four Gorillas were in double-figures with Shelby Lopez's 16 leading the way. Mikaela Burgess and Madison Northcutt each had 11. Hadyn Herlocker dished out a game-high seven assists and Northcutt completed the double-double with 10 rebounds.

Bench points proved to be the difference as the PSU bench outscored Central Missouri 17-2. 

The Jennies finally return home to Warrensburg Saturday, Feb. 11. They host Missouri Southern on Hall of Fame Day at 1:30 p.m. Inductees of the 2017 Central Missouri Hall of Fame Class will recognized at halftime of the Mules game.