WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Jan. 30, 2021) - Central Missouri Jennies Basketball capped off a four-game homestand with a hard-fought 55-51 win over Northwest Missouri. The Jennies got out by as many as 14 in the first half, but the Bearcats got it down to two late, before UCM was able to hang on for their fifth straight win. The win puts the Jennies at 12-2 this season.
How it Happened
• The Jennies shot 40% from the floor and 43% from behind the arc. They held the Bearcats to just 38% shooting and 29% from three.
• UCM held a 34-28 advantage rebounding with six offensive boards.
• Both teams turned the ball over a lot in the first half, 10 times for the Jennies and eight for the Bearcats. That got cleaned up in the second with UCM losing it just three times and the Bearcats four.
• Central Missouri closed the first on a 10-0 run. After the Bearcats hit their first two field goals, they went 0-10 over the 8:18 and didn't score again the rest of the period.
• Back to back three's from
Nija Collier and
Morgan VanHyfte gave UCM an 8-6 lead. VanHyfte picked off a pass and strolled to the basket for an easy layup, making it 14-6 and after one it was 16-6 Jennies.
• Collier and VanHyfte again knocked down three-pointers in the second quarter. VanHyfte's gave the Jennies their largest lead, 26-12 with four minutes to go in the half.
• Over the final minutes, the Jennies scored just two points though and the Bearcats finished the quarter on a 5-2 run and at the half UCM led 28-17.
• Collier and VanHyfte scored 21 of the Jennies 28 first-half points. UCM was 11-24 and 4-7 from three in the half.
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Nija Collier hit a pair of jumpers to start the second half and put the Jennies back on top 32-19.
Olivia Nelson followed with a three and at the media timeout, UCM was up a dozen, 35-23.
• Coming out of the break the Bearcat offense started to click. They went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead down to just five, 35-30.
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Olivia Nelson stopped the Bearcat stretch with a driving layup putting the Jennies back up seven and UCM went into the fourth leading by 10, 42-32.
• The Bearcats though kept fighting scoring five straight to start the fourth.
Gigi McAtee grabbed an offensive rebound and a reverse layup at the 5:30 mark were the Jennies first points of the quarter.
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Makenna Vanzant brought the lead back to eight with a three with just over four minutes remaining. NWMSU responded with a 7-2 run and made it a one-possession game, 50-47.
• Collier pushed the lead back to six, 53-47, hitting her third three of the game with two minutes left to play.
• Northwest scored four straight to get to within two, 53-51, in the closing seconds. Needing to foul they sent Nelson to the line with 21 seconds remaining where she put in both to make it a four-point game.
• On the Bearcats final possession, Collier got a piece of a three-point attempt, her third block of the game, Nelson jumped on the loose ball and the Jennies were able to run out the clock to a 55-51 win.
It Was Over When...
• It went down to the final possession. With the Jennies up four,
Nija Collier sealed it on the defensive end blocking a Bearcat three-point attempt in the closing seconds.
Jennies Stat Leaders
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Nija Collier led the Jennies scoring 21 points with 15 rebounds. She was 3-6 from three and also blocked three shots.
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Olivia Nelson scored 13 going 4-4 at the free throw line.
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Morgan VanHyfte added nine hitting a pair of three-pointers with three rebounds and three steals.
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Graycen Holden chipped in five points, four rebounds,
Makenna Vanzant four points, three boards.
For the Bearcats
• Molly Harnett finished with a game-high 22 points and was 2-2 from three with seven rebounds.
• Mallory McConkey scored nine with a team-leading eight rebounds.
• Jillian Fleming helped out with six points and Jaelyn Haggard five.
News and Notes
• Central Missouri gave up just six points in the opening quarter. It's the second straight game the Jennies have held an opponent below 10 points and sixth time this season. The Jennies are 5-1 when that happens this season and 60-6 in 66 games since 2016-17.
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Nija Collier scored career point 600 and grabbed her 400th rebound.
• In the first half of the last two games, the Jennies have allowed just 30 points.
• The 55 points are the fewest UCM has scored in a game this season.
• The Jennies have held opponents below 60 points in four of their last five games and eight of 14 this season.
• UCM went 4-0 on this homestand.
• Central Missouri has 12 straight wins over Northwest Missouri.
• The win coupled with a loss from Nebraska-Kearney means the two teams are tied atop the MIAA standings at 12-2.
• Northwest Missouri averaged just 50 points against UCM in their two games this season.
Up Next
• As the calendar turns to February, UCM is on the road for three straight starting Thursday, Feb. 4 at Pittsburg State.
