Game 8: No. 25 Central Missouri (4-3, 0-0 MIAA) vs. Lincoln (4-2, 0-0 MIAA)
Sunday, Dec. 5 | 1 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (UCM Multipurpose Building)
Radio: 1450 KOKO, 107.9 FM, 98.5 The BAR
Tip-Off
• No. 25 University of Central Missouri Jennies basketball is scheduled to open MIAA play against the Lincoln Blue Tigers Sunday, Dec. 5, at 1 p.m. inside the Multipurpose Building in Warrensburg, Mo.
• Central Missouri has been idle since a 94-59 victory over Bellevue University Nov. 22 in Warrensburg.
Storylines
• UCM enters MIAA action with an overall record of 4-3 after rolling to a 94-59 win over Bellevue University Nov. 22.
• Through seven games, the Jennies are led by redshirt senior forward
Nija Collier (19.4 ppg., 12.6 RPG, 2.0 BPG), redshirt freshman forward
Brooke Littrell (19.4 ppg., 9.7 RPG) and redshirt freshman guard
Olivia Nelson (17.9 PPG, 2.9 RPG, 5.1 APG, 2.0 SPG).
• Collier (third), Littrell (fourth) and Nelson (ninth) all rank in the top-10 in the MIAA in scoring through seven games.
• Collier leads the conference on the glass with her 12.6 rebounds per game while Littrell is fifth in rebounding at 9.7 rebounds per game.
• Collier is second in the MIAA in field-goal percentage (48-83, .578), Nelson is third (43-78, .551) and Littrell is eighth (50-99, .505).
• Redshirt freshman guard
Charley Bovaird paces the conference in three-point field-goal percentage after seven games, making 20 out of 41 attempts for 48.8 percent.
• Collier leads the MIAA and ranks fourth in NCAA-II in rebounds with 88 in four games.
• Collier and Littrell both have five double-doubles on the season, which leads the conference and is second in NCAA-II.
• Nelson is second in the MIAA in assists per game at 5.1, while Collier leads the league in blocks with 2.0 blocks per game.
Jennies in the Rankings
• The defending NCAA Division II Central Region Champion Jennies were picked to finish second this year in the MIAA preseason coaches' poll. UCM received three first-place votes in the poll.
• Central Missouri was voted to tie for first with Fort Hays State in the MIAA preseason media poll. The Jennies tallied 118 points and five first-place votes in the poll.
• The Jennies are ranked 25th in the most recent WBCA Division II Coaches' Poll.
Individual Milestones
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Nija Collier is third in career blocks at UCM with 114 through seven games this season. She needs 12 blocks to move up to second in program history.
Last Time Out for the Jennies
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Olivia Nelson scored a career-high 29 points to lead sixth-ranked Central Missouri Jennies basketball to a 94-59 win over the Bellevue University Bruins in a non-conference game played at the UCM Multipurpose Building Monday, Nov. 22.
• Nelson, a redshirt freshman point guard from Kansas City, Mo., tallied her career-best 29 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the floor and a 3-of-4 showing at the free-throw line. She also added a team-high tying five assists, and four steals in the contest.
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Nija Collier recorded a double-double for the fourth time this season with 19 points and a game-best 11 rebounds.
Brooke Littrell (20) and
Kade Hackerott (career-high 12) also scored in double figures in the game, respectively.
• Central Missouri shot a sizzling 63 percent from the floor, going 39-for-62, and were 37 percent from beyond-the-arc, making seven out of 19 three-point attempts.
• The Jennies forced the Bruins (3-6) into 23 turnovers which led to 26 points. UCM also outscored Bellevue in the paint, 50-14, and had 11 steals and only 10 turnovers in the game.
Up Next
• Central Missouri continues MIAA play with a contest at Missouri Western Saturday, Dec. 11, at 1:30 p.m. in St. Joseph, Mo.
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