Jennies Start 2020 On The Road

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Jan. 2, 2020) - Central Missouri Jennies Basketball kicks off the 2020 calendar year this weekend for a pair of MIAA contests.

Opponents
Central Oklahoma Bronchos (9-2, 3-0 MIAA)
Newman Jets (6-6, 1-2 MIAA)

When
Saturday, Jan. 4 - 1:30 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 6 - 5:30 p.m. 

Where
Saturday, Jan. 4 - Edmond, Okla.
Monday, Jan. 6 - Wichita, Kan.

How to Watch
• This week's games will be aired on the MIAA Network on the Jennies BlueFrame portal. Greg Hassler will be calling the action. Live stats are available and found at ucmathletics.com.

Tip Off
• The Jennies are back to play after a two-plus week break. UCM last played Dec. 19 at home against Avila. 
• UCM opened up MIAA play with wins at home over Missouri Western (62-53) and Northwest Missouri (70-50) way back Dec. 5 and 7.

Story Lines
• The Jennies are one of four teams in the MIAA to start the year at 2-0.
• UCM is in the midst of a season-long five-game winning streak.
• The Jennies and Newman have never met before. 
• UCM swept UCO last year with a combined two-game total of 160-97. 

Quick Hits
Last Time Out
• The Jennies stayed fresh between MIAA contests with a pair of NAIA opponents. UCM scored 80+ in both defeating Evangel 85-64 and Avila 99-62. Megan Skaggs scored a UCM and MIAA record 50 points vs. Evangel. 

Previously vs. Central Oklahoma/Newman
• The Jennies won big twice over Central Oklahoma last season, first 80-50 in Edmond and then 80-47 in the MIAA Tournament. UCM shot 50% in Edmond and hit 14 three-pointers. Four Jennies were in double-figures led by Sydney Crockett's 19. In KC, Megan Skaggs had a double-double with 23 points and 14 rebounds. 
• Central Missouri and Newman have never met. 

Jennies in the Rankings
• The Jennies have been ranked by the WBCA in 41 of the last 46 polls dating back to the 2016-17 season but fell out of the receiving votes category recently. The Jennies opened the season ranked 11th before starting the year 2-2 and falling out of the top-25.
• The Jens were picked second in the MIAA preseason coaches poll, following their 15-4 conference season in 2018-19

Individual Milestones
• Kim Crown is two rebounds away from 150. 
• Morgan Fleming need 10 more assists to get to 250. 
• Gigi McAtee will get to 100 points with 14 more.

1,000 Point Club
• Both Morgan Fleming and Megan Skaggs started the 2019-20 year as members of the 1,000 point club. Fleming has 1,215 while Skaggs is at 1,377. Skaggs is currently 14th all-time and 11 points away from 13th. Fleming is 20th and 49 points away from 19th.

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 51 games dating back to the 2016-17 season and in those games, UCM is 46-5. The Jens were 15-1 when doing so in 2016-17 and 18-1 in the run to the national championship, including four of the six NCAA postseason games. The Jens defense has cranked it up again, holding opponents to fewer than 10 points in six of their 11, and are 5-1 so far in 2019 when doing so.

Who's Hot?
• The Jennies! They've hit 80 points in back-to-back games and are on a five-game winning streak. They've shot 50% or better in their last three games as well.
• Kim Crown has reached double-figures in two of her last three with a UCM-high 18 coming vs. Avila. 
• Nija Collier has double-doubles in two of her last three games.
• Megan Skaggs, the MIAA Player of the Week before break set the UCM and MIAA record with 50 points vs. Evangel.

60 and Under
• In eight of 11 games this season, the Jennies have held opponents to fewer than 60 points scored. Truman State was the first to break the 60-point barrier hitting 63. The Jennies most UCM has allowed this season is 64.
• The Jennies are allowing just 56.9 points per game this season which is the fifth-best in the MIAA and the 32nd best in Division II.

Pulling Away
• The Jennies best offensive quarter has been the last. UCM has scored 214 points in the fourth quarter, 21 more points than the next highest period.
• UCM has built leads with their defense in the 1st, allowing just 123 1st-quarter points. The next fewest is 138 points allowed in the 3rd

50 Points
• Senior Megan Skaggs set a new UCM and MIAA record scoring 50 points vs. Evangel. The previous record was 46 points done three times. Skaggs was 18-20 and 8-9 from three and 6-6 at the free throw line.
• Skaggs did more than just score though. She nearly had a double-double with nine rebounds along with three assists and two blocks.

MIAA Leaders
• Megan Skaggs leads the MIAA shooting 59% from the floor and is second scoring 17.2 points per game.
• Nija Collier is second with 1.9 blocks per game and eighth pulling down 7.6 rebounds. 
• Morgan Fleming's 3.7 rebounds per game puts her fourth in the MIAA. 

Scouting the Opposition
Central Oklahoma Bronchos (9-2, 3-0 MIAA)
• Central Oklahoma is receiving votes in the latest WBCA top-25 poll. They are off to a 9-2 start and one of four unbeaten teams in the MIAA.
• The Bronchos are second in the MIAA scoring 81.9 points per game. That's held up in MIAA games as UCO is averaging 80.7 in three conference contests.
• The Bronchos are using a committee approach to scoring. While five are averaging at least eight points per game, there isn't a single Broncho scoring more than 12.5 points per game.
• UCO is one of the top teams in the league when it comes to turnover margin. They are a +7.55 which puts them third in the MIAA.
• The Bronchos are in the middle of the pack when it comes to shooting. They have a team slash line of .437/.346/.737 which is between 6th and 7th in the MIAA in all three categories.
Player to Watch
#33 Kelsey Johnson (6-3, F, Jr., Washington, Okla.) - leads team in scoring & rebounding

Newman Jets (6-6, 1-2 MIAA)
• After a season-high three game winning streak, Newman fell to Central Oklahoma to put their record at an even 6-6 this season and 1-2 in the MIAA.
• Newman's offense is run through Kaitlyn Potter. She is fifth in the MIAA scoring 16.3 points per game, nearly 10 points more than the next most (Bailey Hawkins/Haley Albers - 6.8 ppg).
• Potter has taken 165 of the Jets 654 FGA and 104 of the Jets 253 3 FGA.
• The Jets defense has been one of the best in the MIAA. They allow just 56.5 points per game. That number has gone up by nearly 10 points per game to 66.3 in MIAA games.
• Newman has a slight advantage when it comes to rebounding: 33.2 - 33.0, but have blocked 41 shots while surrendering only 18. Their 3.42 blocks per game are fourth in the MIAA.  
• Newman has forced 200 turnovers while losing the ball just 164 times. They have 114 steals. 
Player to Watch
#0 Kaitlyn Potter (5-8, G, Sr., Arkansas City, Kan.) - 19.1 ppg .491/.346/.821