WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 12, 2019) - Central Missouri Jennies Basketball will look to start a new winning streak as they go on the road for a pair of MIAA matchups.
Opponents
Northwest Missouri Bearcats (7-15, 3-10 MIAA)
Missouri Western Griffons (11-11, 6-7 MIAA)
Where
Maryville, Mo. - Bearcat Arena
St. Joseph, Mo. - MWSU Fieldhouse
When
Wednesday, Feb. 13 - 5:30 p.m. at Northwest Missouri
Saturday, Feb. 16 - 2 p.m. at Missouri Western
How to Watch
• This week's games will be broadcast live on 1450 KOKO and 98.5 The Bar with Greg Hassler on the call. Online audio stream can be found at www.warrensburgradio.com There will also be a webstream available on the Jennies Blueframe portal page at www.themiaanetwork.com/ucmmules. Live stats will also be available.
Tip Off
• The Jens will look to get back in the win column this week on the road as they take on Northwest Missouri and Missouri Western.
• The Jennies six-game winning streak came to an end last Saturday vs. Emporia State.
Story Lines
• With a win over Northwest Missouri, the Jennies can clinch a spot in Kansas City in the 10-team MIAA Tournament in March.
• In a bit of odd scheduling, once the Jennies return from facing NWMSU, MWSU, they'll take on those same two teams next week at the Multi.
Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• The Jennies went 1-1 last week, but saw their six-game winning streak come to an end. After beating up on Washburn, 80-55, the Jennies let a 15-point lead slip away against Emporia State in a 65-62 loss.
Previously vs. NWMSU/ MWSU
• The Jens played their foes to the north more than a year ago and came out with two tough wins. Although UCM won by 16 over the Bearcats, it was a six point game heading into the fourth before UCM pulled away. The Jens needed overtime to escape Missouri Western 80-76. They hit 31 free throws in the win,
Morgan Fleming was 11-16 at the line and
Kayonna Lee 8-8.
Jennies vs. NWMSU/MWSU
• In the last three years, Central Missouri has gone 9-2 against Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri. They are 5-0 against the Bearcats and 4-2 against the Griffons, winning each of their last four.
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Paige Redmond has had success against the Bearcats averaging 13.4 points in five games. She's 7-21 from three with 12 rebounds and 16 assists. Against MWSU, she's scoring 11.5 while shooting 44% and 35% from three.
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Sydney Crockett has struggled vs. NWMSU going 4-24 from three, with three coming the last time they met. But against the Griffons, she's 25-26 at the free throw line and scores 9.5 per game.
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Morgan Fleming has played in three of the five Bearcat matchups, scoring 14.7 points per game. She's upped that to 16.3 against Missouri Western while shooting 53.6%.
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Megan Skaggs is averaging 8.5 in four games vs. NWMSU. She's hit 7 three and scores 11.5 against Missouri Western.
Jennies in the Rankings
• Central Missouri moved down three spots to No. 24 this week in the WBCA Coaches Poll.
• The Jennies have been ranked by the WBCA in 36 of the last 37 polls dating back to the 2016-17 season
• The Jens were picked first in the MIAA preseason coaches poll, following their 18-1 regular season championship last season.
Jennies on the Road
• This season UCM is 5-3 in road games.
• All-time the Jennies 101-69 on the road under Coach Slifer.
The MIAA Universe (As of Feb. 12, 2019)
• Not one, not two, but three Jennies still rank in the MIAA top-10 in scoring.
Paige Redmond has slid down to No. 6 overall with 16.1 points per game.
Megan Skaggs is eighth at 14.2 and
Morgan Fleming is 10th with 13.8.
• Redmond is still leading the MIAA in minutes per game at 36.7. She is also fourth in FG% (42.2), third in FT% (87.3) and fourth with 4.1 assists per game. Fleming is fifth in assists with 3.3.
• In MIAA only games this season, the Jennies defense is second in points allowed with 61.1. They are also third in rebounding margin in conference games at +3.4.
Individual Milestones
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Paige Redmond became the eighth Jennie to score more than 1500 career points, doing so against Lindenwood. She is currently at 1,560 and needs 19 more to reach sixth place and 73 more to crack the top-five. Redmond is also climbing the all-time 3FGM and assist list. She has 195 threes for her career which is moves her to fifth all-time and is seventh with 381 assists.
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Sydney Crockett is also moving up the all-time three-point list and is currently eighth with 132. She's also four points away from 700.
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Megan Skaggs is closing in on 1,000 points needing just 9 more.
10 Below
• For the last three seasons the Jennies have made a habit of holding teams to fewer than 10 points in at least one quarter. It's happened in 44 games dating back to the 2016-17 season and in those games, UCM is 40-4. The Jens were 15-1 when doing so in 2016-17 and 18-1 last year including four of the six NCAA postseason games. The Jens are at it again this year. In nine games, they've held an opponent to single-digits in one quarter of play. After the first quarter against ESU, it was 8-7 Jennies, and UCM is 7-2 this season.
Who's Hot?
• Despite struggling in her last game against Emporia State,
Sydney Crockett is still scoring 15.3 points in her last three games with 11 three-pointers. She put up a career-best 24 points in a win over Washburn.
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Megan Skaggs has five straight games with double-figure points. She scored a season-best 24 against Emporia State and is shooting 53% during that five-game stretch.
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Morgan VanHyfte has seen her playing time increase and is producing in a number of ways. She's got 5 rebounds per game in her last three, along with three blocks and two steals.
Scouting the Opposition
Northwest Missouri Bearcats (7-15, 3-10 MIAA)
• The Bearcats are in a cold stretch, losers of their last five games, their longest losing streak of the season.
• At 3-10 in the league, the Bearcats are in 11th place, still battling for a spot in the MIAA postseason just 1/2 game behind Missouri Southern in 10th.
• Two Bearcats are scoring in double figures for a team that averages just 58.6 points per game. Jaelyn Haggard is the team leader with 12.3 while Kendey Eaton scores 10.7.
• Kaylani Maiava and Mallory McConkey are both over 100 rebounds and score more than 8 points/game.
• The Bearcats lead the MIAA in one team category - free throw percentage. They connect on 80.4% at the stripe. Haggard has hit 88.1% and Eaton is 47-50.
• Northwest is getting out rebounded by nearly 10, 37.0-27.5, by far the lowest margin in the MIAA.
• Despite being at the bottom of the league shooting 38.8% for the season, the Bearcats are fifth in the MIAA in three-point percentage having hit 33.4%.
• NWMSU +1.95 turnover margin is sixth in the MIAA.
Player to Watch
#3 Jaelyn Haggard (5-5, G, So. St. Joseph, Mo.) - 12.3 ppg, shooting 38.6% from three
Missouri Western Griffons
• The Griffons have alternated wins and losses all season long, which explains their 11-11 record. They haven't had a winning or losing streak longer than three games.
• At 6-7 in the MIAA, the Griffons are in a three-way tie for seventh place, but are in a good position to qualify for the MIAA Tournament, two games up on 10th place Missouri Southern.
• Junior transfer Katrina Roenfeldt leads the team scoring 16.5 points per game which is third in the MIAA. She's done most of her damage from three hitting 63 and shooting 36.8% from deep.
• Also in double figure scoring is Brittany Atkins with 11.8. There are three Griffons averaging between 7 and 8 points per game.
• As a team, MWSU is shooting 40.4% which is 12th in the MIAA and despite Roenfeldt's success, they're just 10th in three-point shooting hitting 31.1%.
• On the defensive end, the Griffons are fifth with 193 total steals. Roenfeldt has picked up 44 of those. They have forced 393 turnovers and are 3rd in the MIAA in turnover margin at +3.50.
• At the FT line, MWSU is shooting 69.6%, 10th in the MIAA.
Player to Watch
#5 Katrina Roenfeldt (5-6, G, R-Jr., Dodge City, Kan.) - Second in MIAA shooting 63-173 from three
