Jennies Come Up Just Short in Season Opener

ABERDEEN, SD (Nov. 8, 2019) - Central Missouri Jennies basketball turned a 15-point halftime deficit into a fourth quarter lead, but couldn't complete the comeback win in their season opener Friday night. After taking a 52-51 lead, the Jennies went cold and the No. 18 Minnesota State-Moorhead Dragons scored just enough to pull out a win.

How it Happened
• Both teams shot below 40% from the floor with the Dragons shooting 38% and the Jennies 33%. Each team also knocked in seven three-pointers but UCM was 7-26 while the Dragons went 7-19.
• Each team hit 11 free throws, the Jennies went 11-13 at the stripe.
• Rebounding played a big factor with the Dragons holding a 44-30 edge, including 13 offensive rebounds. They turned those in 14 second chance points.
• UCM relied heavily on it's five starters scoring 50 of the team's 56 points. UCM got points from seven different players while the Dragons had 10 who scored.
• Things started out very slowly as both teams hit just three field goals in the first quarter and shot below 30%. The Jennies struggled mightily holding on to the ball and after one period trailed 10-6 and lost eight turnovers.
• UCM did a much better job of holding onto the ball and ended up turning it over just 13 times compared to the Dragons 18.
• MSUM put some distance on the Jennies in the second quarter. A 9-0 run gave them a 15-point lead, 26-11.
• Nija Collier hit a pair of threes in the second, but at the half, the Dragons were still up 15, 34-19.
• Central Missouri came alive in the second half. They outscored the Dragons 20-10 in the third quarter. Gigi McAtee hit a three to start the half, but things really didn't get cooking until late in the period.
• The Dragons still led by double-figures, 42-31, with two minutes left to play in the third. Kim Crown scored an old-fashioned three-point play and the Jennies scored five more on free throws to close the quarter. Heading to the fourth, the Jennies cut the lead to five, 44-39.
• It only took 1:30 into the fourth for the Jennies to tie the game at 44. Megan Skaggs scored two on free throws and McAtee buried her second three-pointer of the game.
• One possession later, McAtee found Nija Collier under the basket for two, and the Jens had their first lead, 46-44.
• The two teams traded three-pointers and after Morgan Fleming hit two at the free-throw line, the Jennies had their largest lead, 52-49, with 6:14 left to play.
• UCM still led by one, 54-53, but went cold from the field in the final three minutes. The Jens missed seven straight field goal attempts as the Dragons rallied to reclaim the lead.
• A free throw put Minnesota State-Moorhead up by four, 58-54 with seven second left. The Jennies got a field goal with less than one second, but it was too late as the Dragons escaped with the win.

It Was Over When...
• Brooklyn Liegel hit a free throw with seven seconds left to put the Dragons up by four. UCM hit a field goal to get to within two, but there wasn't enough time for another possession.

Jennies Stat Leaders
• Nija Collier scored a game-high 20 points on 8-19 shooting and pulled down eight rebounds.
• Morgan Fleming added 12 points and six rebounds.
• Megan Skaggs was also in double-figures with 10 points and four assists.
• GiGi McAtee hit a pair of three's and scored six points.
• Defensively, Morgan VanHyfte swiped four steals and had three rebounds.

For the Dragons
• Megan Hintz led the team with 13 points on 5-10 shooting. She also grabbed seven rebounds.
• Katie Tornstrom came off the bench to score nine points.
• Natalie Steichen scored seven points and passed out four assists. 

News and Notes
• The Jennies had won two straight against Minnesota State-Moorhead, both in the NCAA postseason the last two years.
• Morgan VanHyfte grabbed career rebound number 100.
• Megan Skaggs played in her 100th career game and pulled down career rebound 450.
• Morgan Fleming is up over 200 career assists.
• This is the Jennies first season opening loss since 2016-17.

Up Next
• The Jennies will quickly move on and face Central Region Challenge hosts Northern State tomorrow evening at 6 p.m. The Wolves won their season opener in overtime against Rogers State.