JACKSON, Tenn. – After trailing by as many as 17 points, the sixth-ranked University of Central Missouri Jennies basketball team mounted a furious rally in the second half, but came up short it its comeback attempt, falling to No. 16-ranked Union, 79-75, Saturday, Nov. 20, inside Fred DeLay Gymnasium.
The Jennies (3-3) have a quick turnaround, as they will return home to the UCM Multipurpose Building to host Bellevue University Monday, Nov. 22, at 6 p.m.
Redshirt freshman
Brooke Littrell scored a career and game-high 24 points on 9-of-16 shooting and a 4-for-4 performance at the free-throw line and added 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double in six games, leading the Jennies.
Nija Collier added 20 points, while
Charley Bovaird had 15 and
Olivia Nelson tallied 14 – all in the second half – to round out the UCM scoring leaders.
Central Missouri trailed Union (2-1) at halftime, 45-30, before catching fire in the third and fourth quarters, outscoring the Bulldogs 24-17 in the third and 21-17 in the fourth, and tied the game, 75-75, with just under a minute to go in the fourth quarter after a Nelson layup. Union converted a layup of its own with 31 seconds remaining to regain the 77-75 advance and was able to hit key free throws during the final 30 seconds, thwarting the UCM rally.
The Jennies shot 51 percent from the floor for the game, going 24-of-57, and were 11-for-26 from beyond-the-arc for 42 percent. UCM went 16-of-18 at the free-throw line for 89 percent.
UCM outrebounded Union, 29-27, but turned the ball over 19 times which led to 18 Bulldog points. Union also outscored Central Missouri in the paint, 34-22.
Ashtyn Baker scored 20 points, pacing Union, respectively.
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