Jennies Basketball Home and Away for Pivotal MIAA Games

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 6, 2018) - No. 4 Central Missouri Jennies Basketball will take on some of the MIAA's best this weekend, including second-place Pittsburg State as the 2017-18 season rolls on.

Opponents: Pittsburg State Gorillas (17-5, 10-3 MIAA)
                   Missouri Southern Lions (10-11, 7-6 MIAA)

When: Wednesday, Saturday, Feb. 7, 10
            Pittsburg State: Wednesday, Feb. 7 - 5:30 p.m.
            Missouri Southern: Saturday, Feb. 10 - 1:30 p.m.

Where: Warrensburg, Mo. - UCM Multipurpose Building
            Joplin, Mo. - Leggett & Platt Athletic Center

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 has one home, against Pittsburg State and one on the road, at Missouri Southern this week.
• Central Missouri has won 16 straight games and are 13-0 to start MIAA play.
• The Jennies are ranked fourth by both the WBCA and the D2SIDA Media Poll, their highest ranking in either this season and highest ever under Coach Slifer.
• The Jennies defeated Pittsburg State in last year's regular season finale to snap a three game losing streak. The Jens are 31-23 all time against the Gorillas and 3-1 in their last four in Warrensburg. UCM swept the season series with the Lions last year and lead all-time 39-23. The sweep answered a Lion sweep that came in 2015-16. 

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
Central Missouri started their three-game homestand with wins against Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State. The win over the Bronchos was the Jennies first over a ranked team this season. Morgan Fleming was oustanding scoring 21 points. Kayonna Lee pulled down double-double number three. Paige Redmond led the Jennies against the RiverHawks scoring 19. UCM out-rebounded NSU 41-36. The Jens committed just 13 turnovers in the two games. 

Previously vs. Pittsburg State/Missouri Southern
The Jennies closed the regular season against the Gorillas and pulled out a 69-63 win. The Jennies were down eight after one, but chipped away at the lead and a 17-9 fourth quarter set them over the top. Kayonna Lee had a double-double with 17 points and 21 rebounds. The Jennies were in Joplin previously and defeated a short-handed Lions team 71-57. The Jennies scored 25 in the first quarter and never looked back. Paige Redmond scored 26 points. 

Jennies in the Rankings
Central Missouri is now in the top-five of both the WBCA and D2SIDA polls. The Jennies are ranked fourth in both polls, moving up two spaces in each. D2SIDA also conducts weekly regional rankings, which sees the Jennies ranked first in the Central Region for the fourth straight week. The Central Region consists of teams from the MIAA, Northern Sun and Great American Conferences. Next week, the NCAA will produce their first regional rankings of the season. 

Jennies at Home
The Jennies 12 home wins already surpasses their season total from a year ago with two games left. Central Missouri is 12-1 this season at the Multi with 11 straight wins. The 12 home wins match the second-most for UCM under Coach Slifer.

Around the MIAA
• Only one unbeaten team remains in the MIAA. That of course is Central Missouri. The Jennies are the only team with 13 wins and have a three game lead over the rest of the field. Behind the Jennies are Pittsburg State and Nebraska-Kearney at 10-3. 
• Kayonna Lee continues to be a defensive force. She is the only player in the MIAA to be in the top-10 in rebounds (8th), blocks (T-5th) and steals (T-9th).
• The Jennies have been sharing the ball around, averaging 14.7 assists per game, second-most in the MIAA. UCM is the only team with two in the top-10 in assists per game. Paige Redmond overtook the team lead with 73 helpers, and her 3.7 assists per game are fourth in the MIAA. Kelsey Williams is right behind her with 71 assists. She averages 3.6 per game, fifth in the MIAA. Williams' 2-1 assist-to-turnover ratio is second in the MIAA, while Redmond is fourth at 1.6-1. As a team, the Jennies assists to turnover ratio of 1.26-1 is the best in the MIAA and the 14th best mark in the NCAA. 
• As a team, the Jennies are in the top-five in field goal (46.3%), three-point (34.2%) and free throw (76.7%).  

Individual Milestones 
• Paige Redmond is looking to become the 26th member of the 1,000 point club. She is just 11 points away from reaching the milestone. She is also ninth all-time in three-pointers with 113 and needs 16 more to move into eighth place. 
• Megan Skaggs recorded point number 500 against Central Oklahoma. She needs nine rebounds to reach 200. 
• Sydney Crockett would appear next to score 500. At 476 she is 24 points away, Kayonna Lee needs 58 points and Morgan Fleming needs 77 points.
• Peyton Taylor needs one more point until she reaches 100. 

Under 10
Through 20 games this season, Central Missouri has held opponents to fewer than 10 points in a quarter in 13 of those games. The Jennies are 13-0 in those games, and are yet to be held to fewer than 10 points themselves this season. Going back to last season, Central Missouri is 28-1 in games where an opponent has scored fewer than 10 points and 4-3 in games in which they failed to reach 10 points in a quarter. In 57% of UCM's games the last two years, the Jennies have held an opponent to under 10 points in at least one quarter.

Inside the Winning Streak
At 16 straight wins, the Jennies have already set the mark for most consecutive wins in the Dave Slifer era. Not only that, it is now the fourth longest winning streak in team history and the longest since winning 25 straight in 1988-89. Their 19-1 record is also their best 20-game start since 1989-90, when they started 23-1 and the second-best 20 game start in school history. The UCM record for most consecutive MIAA wins in a single-season is 14 in 1988-89, when they went 14-0. UCM went 12-0 in the MIAA in both 1982-83 and 1984-85. 

Scouting the Opposition
Pittsburg State Gorillas (17-5, 10-3 MIAA)
• Pittsburg State is one of three teams in the MIAA with double-digit league wins. Their 10-3 record has them in a tie for second place with Nebraska-Kearney. Pitt State has won four straight games and are 17-5 overall. 
• Four of Pittsburg State's five losses have come on the road. They are 6-4 in road games and 11-1 combined in home and neutral site contests. 
• Three Bronchos are scoring double-digit points this season. Mikaela Burgess leads the team averaging more than 15 at 15.7. She is the biggest threat in the league from behind the arc, shooting 34.1%. 
• Behind Burgess are Shelby Lopez (11.2) and Paige Imhoff (10.2). Lopez is shooting 44.3% from the floor and has stepped out to make 43 triples as well. In addition to scoring 10.2 points per game, Imhoff averages 6 assists to lead the MIAA, as does her 2.4 assist to turnover ratio. 
• Madison Northcutt does most of the dirty work under the basket. She leads the team with 9.1 rebounds per game and is also scoring 8.8 points per game while shooting 53.3% from the field. 
• The Gorillas score 74.4 points per game, which is right behind the Jennies for sixth in the MIAA. However, in the tightly bunched MIAA, they are less than one point behind third place Emporia State.
• Pittsburg State is just shy of the league lead for three-point field goals made with 172. They sit sixth in the conference though shooting 32.8%. 
• At +3.50, the Gorillas have the third best turnover margin in the MIAA. They turn the ball over just 11.4 times per game which is the fewest in the league, while forcing 14.9. 
Player to Watch
#15  Mikaela Burgess (5-7, G, SR, Webb City, Mo.) - Leads MIAA shooting 34.1% from three

Missouri Southern Lions (10-11, 7-6 MIAA)
• Missouri Southern struggled out of the gates, losing seven of their first eight games, but turned around in conference season with an eight game winning streak. That streakiness has continued as the Gorillas have lost four of their last five. 
• The Lions have performed much better at home than on the road. MSSU is 8-4 in home games including seven of their last eight at the Leggett and Platt Athletic Center. All totaled they are 10-11, 7-6 MIAA. 
• The Lion offense runs through Chelsea Henry and Desirea Buerge. Buerge is second in the MIAA scoring 19.4 points per game, which she has upped to 20.3 in league games. She also leads the team securing 8.6 rebounds per game. Henry isn't far behind scoring 18.5 games and 19 in conference. She is shooting 46.5% from the field and 36.1% from three. Both Buerge and Henry are shooting over 85% at the FT line.
• Those two get help in the form of Dru Clark and Jenson Maydew. Clark is scoring 9.7 points per game and Maydew is up to 9.6. Maydew also grabed 7.8 rebounds per game while Clark is leading the team with 55 assists. Maydew also has a team-high 22 blocked shots. 
• The Lions are used to high scoring affairs. The are one of just three teams in the MIAA to both score and allow more than 70 points per game. 
• Turnovers can be tricky for Missouri Southern. They have turned the ball over 328 times in 22 games which is the third most in the MIAA. They are a -0.81 in turnover margin. 
• Defensively, the Lions allow opponents to score on 42.2% of their attempts and that number has gone up to 42.8% in MIAA games. 
Player to Watch
#21 Desirea Buerge (6-0, F, JR, Webb City, Mo.) - 19.4 points per game, 8.6 rebounds per game