Jennies Clinch No. 1 Seed, Outright MIAA Championship

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 22, 2018) - Needing just one win in their final two games to clinch an outright MIAA regular season championship, Central Missouri Jennies Basketball took down Missouri Southern 64-41 in front of a terrific home crowd at the Multi. The win means Central Missouri will be the No. 1 seed entering next week's MIAA Tournament. They are 23-2 overall and 17-1 in the MIAA.

How it Happened
• Central Missouri's defense was on lockdown all night long. The Lions didn't score more than 12 points in any of the four quarters.
• The Jennies shot 46% from the floor, while the Lions were held to just 26%, hitting 14-of-55 field goal attempts.
• Defensively, UCM outrebounded the Lions 43-30 and blocked seven shots. 
• The Jennies were able to connect on seven three-pointers and were 9-13 at the foul line.
• Central Missouri moved the ball around effectively with 17 assists on 24 made baskets. 
• UCM jumped out to a quick lead, 10-4. Paige Redmond started the scoring with a layup and the Jennies led end to end.
• After one quarter, UCM had a double-digit lead, 18-8.
• The Lions got back to within seven, 18-11, but layups by Kayonna Lee and Morgan Fleming gave UCM an 11-point edge with 7:34 to play in the first half, and the Jennies led by double digits the rest of the way.
• The Jens closed the game with another 18-point quarter and tamed the Lions 64-41. 

It was Over When...
• Missouri Southern still had some fight left in them in the early portion of the second half. They knocked in a three and trailed by 13, 34-21. After that, Megan Skaggs and Morgan Fleming each hit a three and the lead ballooned to 19.

Jennies Stat Leaders
• Megan Skaggs finished with a game-high 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting. she also pulled down four assists.
• Paige Redmond scored 11 and tied a season-high with seven assists and seven rebounds.
• Kayonna Lee recorded her sixth double-double with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. She also blocked three shots and had three steals. 
• Kelsey Williams and Morgan Fleming both added 10 points. 
• Coming off the bench, Jolene Shipps grabbed nine rebounds, one shy of her career-high. she also scored two points and had an assist. 

For the Lions
• Dru Clark led the team scoring 13 points. She also led the team with nine rebounds.
• Chelsey Henrey scored nine points and had two assists.
• Desirea Buerge added seven points and five rebounds. She also had a block and a steal.

News and Notes
• The win clinches the No. 1 seed for Central Missouri in the upcoming MIAA Tournament. They also have won the regular season conference championship outright.
• Their 17 MIAA wins tie a team record for most conference wins in a season. 
• UCM allowed fewer than 50 points for the sixth time this season.
• For the 14th time this season, UCM has kept an opponent at under 10 points in one of the game's four quarters. The Jennies are 14-0 in those games. 
• All 13 of the Jennies who dressed got in the game tonight and nine scored.
• Prior to the game, the Jennies honored their four seniors: Kendra Gladbach, Kayonna Lee, Sydney Skaggs and Kelsey Williams.

Up Next
• Central Missouri wraps up the regular season Saturday, Feb. 24 at Pittsburg State. Tip off is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. at John Lance Arena.