Jennies Take to the Road for Two MIAA Contests

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Jan. 9, 2017) - For the first time this season, No. 12 Central Missouri Jennies Basketball will play back-to-back road games.

Opponents: Northwest Missouri Bearcats (1-13, 0-6 MIAA)
                    Missouri Western Griffons (10-5, 3-3 MIAA) 

When: Thursday, Saturday Jan. 11, 13
            Northwest Missouri: Thursday, Jan. 11 - 5:30 p.m.
            Missouri Western: Saturday, Jan. 13 - 2 p.m.

Where: Maryville, Mo. - Bearcat Arena
            St. Joseph, Mo. -  MWSU Fieldhouse

On the Air
• 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. There will be a live webcast of this week's games on UCM's Internet Blueframe portal and is available on TV streaming devices.

Tip Off
• Central Missouri Jennies Basketball takes their show on the road this week for a pair of MIAA games at Northwest Missouri and Missouri Western.
• Central Missouri has won eight straight games and are 5-0 to start MIAA play.
• The Jennies are ranked 12th by the WBCA in this week's poll and moved to 10th in the D2SIDA Media Poll.  
• The Jennies met both of these teams back in December, going 2-0 in Warrensburg. They defeated the Bearcats 77-40 before turning around to beat the Griffons 70-48. 
• All time, UCM is 67-26 against Northwest with wins in 10 of their last 11 games. The Jennies have won three straight against the Griffons and are 37-29 all-time. 

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
The Jennies continued their winning ways with victories over Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney. Paige Redmond led the team scoring 17 points against the Tigers and 19 against the Lopers. Kayonna Lee grabbed 13 boards in win against Nebraska-Kearney. Jolene Shipps came off the bench to score eight points in each game. 

Previously vs. Northwest Missouri/Missouri Western
You don't have to go back far to find the last time these teams met. It was just one month ago the visited Warrensburg. The Jennies defeated Northwest 77-40 behind a 15-point, 12 rebound double-double from Kayonna Lee. Morgan Fleming led the team with 19 points. Four days later, the Jennies defeated the Griffons 70-48. Four Jennies were in double figures, Fleming and Megan Skaggs each had 11 while Kelsey Williams and Sydney Crockett each scored 10. 

Jennies in the Rankings
Central Missouri remained in the top-15 of both the WBCA and D2SIDA weekly polls. The Jennies jumped two spots to number 10 in the media poll and fell one spto to number 12 in the coaches poll. Their rank of 10 in the D2SIDA poll is their highest this season. D2SIDA also conducts weekly regional rankings, which sees the Jennies ranked second in the Central Region, which consists of teams from the MIAA, Northern Sun and Great American Conferences. 

Jennies on the Road
Central Missouri hasn't had to pack their bags much this season. Thursday's game will be just the second true road game of the season. The Jennies defeated Southwest Baptist 80-75, in their only road game on December 16. 

Around the MIAA
• Only one unbeaten team remains in the MIAA. That of course is Central Missouri. The Jennies and Central Oklahoma each have five wins, with the Bronchos standing at 5-1. Washburn and Emporia State are both 4-1. There are 10 teams in the league with a .500 record or better. 
• Kayonna Lee is proving to be a defensive force. She's third in the league in rebounds with 9.8 per game. She is also in the top 10 in blocks per game at 1.6, which is tied for fourth.
• The Jennies have been sharing the ball around, averaging 16.1 assists per game, most in the MIAA. UCM is the only team with two in the top-10 in assists per game. Kelsey Williams overtook the team lead with 43 helpers, and her 3.6 assists per game are tied for fourth in the MIAA. Paige Redmond is right behind her with 3.5 assists per game, which is sixth. Williams' 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is third in the MIAA, while Redmond is seventh at 1.4-1. As a team, the Jennies assists to turnover ratio of 1.32-1 is the best in the MIAA and the 11th best mark in the NCAA. 

Individual Milestones 
• Paige Redmond entered the UCM all-time top-10 list for made three-pointers last week. With 98 for her career she and needs just two more to reach 100 and four more to move into ninth place.
• Kayonna Lee is 10 rebounds shy of 400. 
• Peyton Taylor needs one more points until she reaches 100. 
• With 13 more points, Kelsey Williams will have 300 for her career. 

Keep Your Hands to Yourself
Central Missouri is the best in the league at keeping their hands off opponents. The Jennies 175 personal fouls against are the fewest in the league and are sixth in the NCAA. As a result, opponents have taken just 154 free throw attempts, the second fewest in the MIAA. The Jennies have scored 54 more points than opponents at the free throw line. 

MIAA Road Games
MIAA teams are having a tough time this season winning on the road. Thanks in part to UCM going 4-0, home teams are 29-11 in conference games to start the season for a .725 winning percentage. Only Washburn, Central Oklahoma and Emporia State have more than one MIAA road win this season. 

Getting Defensive 
Through 12 games, Central Missouri boasts the best defense in the MIAA. They are holding opponents to just 53.5 points per game, which is eighth-best in the NCAA. That number has actually gone down in conference games, as the Jennies have allowed just 52 points per game in five league matchups. Teams are shooting 35.5% overall and 33.9% in the MIAA. The Jens are also keep opponents under 30% from three at 29.3 overall and 28.6 in in the MIAA. 

Scouting the Opposition 
Northwest Missouri Bearcats
• Northwest Missouri is currently on an 1-game losing streak and have lost their first six MIAA games. 
• The Bearcats are being outscored by an average of 74.0-60.3. Their 36.4% shooting percentage is 13th of 14 teams in the league. They are in the top half in the league in three-point field goal percentage, shooting 33%, which is seventh. 
• Tanya Meyer is a returning All-MIAA performer from a year ago. She is off to a tremendous start, averaging just under a double-double with 14.6 points per game and 9.1 rebounds. She has led the team in points in nine games and rebounds in 11 games.
• Thanks to Meyer, the Bearcats average 34.1 rebounds per game. After Meyer, Kaylani Maiava averages 4.2 rebounds and Mallory McConkey grabs 3.6. 
• Jaelyn Haggard is the only other Bearcat to average double-figures this season. She is scoring 12.4 points per game, most of those coming on three pointers. She is second in the MIAA shooting 35% from three and 36 of her 60 made field goals have been from behind the arc. 
• Northwest has dished out 161 assists this season, which is just below the 173 of their opponents. Mallory McConkey and Macy Williams lead the team passing out 26 thus far this season. 
• The Bearcats are turning the ball over almost 15 times per game, while opponents just 12 times. They have also taken it away just 64 times while have had the ball stolen 92 times.
• Northwest has committed 47 more fouls than opponents - 258-211 and have had five foul outs. 
Player to Watch
#15  Tanya Meyer (5-10, F, SR, Sioux City, Iowa) - Averaging 14.6 points and 9.1 rebounds per game

Missouri Western Griffons
• Missouri Western started the season at 9-1 and 3-0 in the MIAA but have hit a bit of a snag lately. They've dropped four of their last five and have lost three straight MIAA games. 
• The last Griffon win was a 72-52 nonconference win against Quincy on December 30.  
• Missouri Western plays in some low-scoring games, scoring 67.5 points per game and give up 59.4 points. The Griffons shoot .413, doing most of their damage on the inside. They've struggled behind the arc, shooting just .304, which is next to last in the MIAA. 
• Brittany Atkins is the team's leading scorer this season with 13.8 points per game. She is the only Griffon to be scoring more than 10 points per game. Two though though: Melia Richardson (9.9), and Dossou Ndiaye (8.5) are averaging more than eight points per game. 
• MWSU holds a 35.1-32 edge in rebounding, led by KeShara Scott's 6.7 per game. Ndiaye is also averaging 4.8 boards per game. The Griffons' 727 field goal attempts allowed are by far the fewest in the MIAA among teams with at least 15 games played. The next closest have allowed more than 100 more, Fort Hays State at 851. 
• Richardson is one of three Griffons with more than 20 assists this season. She leads the team with 50 and her 3.3 per game are seventh in the MIAA. 
• Missouri Western does a great job at forcing turnovers. They've forced 302 with 152 steals and have turned it over themselves just 206 times. 
Player to Watch
#01  Brittany Atkins (5-9, G, JR, Kansas City, Mo.) - 13.8 points per game, .396/.360/.902