KANSAS CITY, Mo. (March 1, 2018) - Central Missouri, the No. 1 seed in the MIAA Tournament could not make it out of the quarterfinal round Thursday night. They fell to Lindenwood 75-66 and stand at 24-3 this season.

How It Happened
• The Jennies struggled in the second half, hitting just seven field goals in 20 minutes. The Lions outscored UCM 26-12 in the fourth quarter to pull away.
• Central Missouri could not get much going inside the three-point arc, shooting just 8-29 on their two-point attempts. Three-pointers, of which UCM was 10-28 kept them in the game as did free throw shooting as the Jens were 20-22 at the line.
• The Lions, though they only outrebounded the Jens by four, held a 41-14 advantage scoring in the paint.
• Lindenwood's bench also played a part as they scored 36 points, while the Jennies only got 10 from their nonstarters. 
• For the game, the Lions outshot the Jennies 46%-32%, which was the Jens lowest field goal percentage this season.
• Both teams came out to start the first quarter trading shots and neither team led by more than two points.
• Lindenwood led 19-17 after the first quarter thanks in part to 50% shooting performance (8-16). The Jens shot to 6-14 for 42.9%.
• The start of the second quarter was a battle of attrition as the Jennies scored just seven points in the first five minutes. 
• Defensively, UCM shined holding Lindenwood scoreless in the first five minutes and led 24-19.
• Offensive intensity picked up in the final five minutes, as the two teams scored a combined 20 points. Jens had 11, while the Lions put up nine.
• UCM kept the lead for the entire third period as the teams went back to trading points. The Jennies hit only three field goals but knocked in 10 free throws.
• A 9-0 stretch from Lindenwood gave the Lions their first lead since early in the second quarter, 57-56.
• The Jens were able to tie on a layup from Fleming with 2:43 left to play, but went just 1-7 the rest of the game.
• Lindenwood was able to pad their lead hitting 5-8 free throws in the final 53 seconds.

It Was Over When...
• After Fleming's layup, the Lions immediately answered with a layup of their own to retake a the lead. LWU hit another three and then a Jennies turnover and Lindenwood jumper gave the Lions a seven point lead with 1:21 to play.

Jennies Stat Leaders
• Megan Skaggs did her best to keep the Jennies in the game. She scored 25 on 6-11 shooting and 4-6 from three. She also made 9-11 free throw attempts.
• Morgan Fleming was the only other Jennie in double-figures. She scored 18 on 6-9 shooting and was also 4-6 from three.
• Both Skaggs and Fleming led the Jens with six rebounds.
• Off night for Paige Redmond who was 3-16 from the field and 0-6 from three. 
• Kelsey Williams added five points and handed out five assists.

For the Lions
• Jennies didn't have much of an answer for Gabby Walker. She was 9-17 for a team-high 20 points and finished a rebound shy of a double-double.
• Kallie Bildner, who is the only MIAA player to average a double-double recorded another with 17 points and 10 boards. She finished 10-13 at the line.
• Lindsay Medlen added 14 points, knocking in three triple and passed out three assists. 
• Kylie Ferguson added nine points.

News and Notes
• Two Jennies reached 500 career points in the game, Sydney Crockett and Morgan Fleming.
• Megan Skaggs's 25 points are a new career-best. She is 8-for-12 from three in the last two games.
• This is the first time this season and second in the last two seasons the Jennies lost a game when holding an opponent to fewer than 10 points in the quarter. They had been 14-0 this year and 29-1 the last two. Lindenwood scored just nine second quarter points.
• The loss puts Coach Slifer at 16-16 in the MIAA Tournament at the helm of the Jennies.
• This is the first game all season UCM has lost away from Warrensburg.

Up Next
• Although the Jennies lost, their place in the NCAA Central Region appears to be safe. They'll learn the details of who, when, and most importantly, where they play Saturday at the NCAA Selection Show. The show airs live on NCAA.com at 9 p.m. CT.