2021 Regular Season Comes to a Close This Weekend

WARRENSBURG, Mo. (Feb. 24, 2021) - The MIAA regular season comes to a finish this weekend. The Jennies will wrap up this portion of their schedule at home including a senior day Saturday, prior to their game.

Opponents
RV Central Oklahoma Bronchos (13-6, 13-6 MIAA)
Lincoln (1-19, 1-19 MIAA)

Where:
 UCM Multipurpose Building - Warrensburg, Mo. 

When:
Thursday, Feb. 25 - 5:30 p.m. vs Central Oklahoma
Saturday, Feb. 27 - 1:00 p.m. vs. Lincoln 

Fan Information:
• The UCM Multipurpose Building is limited to 25% capacity. Fans are strongly encourage to purchase their tickets in advance at the link above.
• Face masks are required at all times while on the UCM campus. 
• Fans are strongly encouraged to socially distance themselves when seated and only sit with the group they entered the facility with.
• Restrooms and east-end concessions will be open, but fans are asked not to congregate in hallways or the lobby. 
• There will be no reserved seating for visiting fans behind the visiting bench. 

On the Air:
• Both games will be broadcasted on 1450 KOKO, 98.5 The Bar and now the all new 107.9 fm. You can also stream online at warrensburgradio.com with Greg Hassler calling the action. 
• All games will also be webcast online through the MIAA's Blue Frame portal at http://www.themiaanetwork.com/ucmmules/. 
• Links to live stats and live video can also be found at ucmathletics.com. 

Tip-Off
• Central Missouri finishes off the regular season at home taking on Central Oklahoma and Lincoln this weekend.
• UCM will recognize their two senior student-athletes Gigi McAtee and Morgan VanHyfte in a special on-court ceremony prior to the game. 

Storylines
• All-time against Central Oklahoma the Jennies are 10-3. The Jennies four-game winning streak over the Bronchos was snapped when these two teams met in Edmond in January. 
• Central Missouri and Lincoln have played a whole bunch, but it is a very one-sided rivalry. The Jennies are 60-3 all-time against the Blue Tigers and have won nine straight. 
• The Jennies have clinched a berth in the upcoming MIAA Tournament. They will also host at least a quarterfinal round game Wednesday, March 3. 
• UCM is in a position to qualify for their fifth straight NCAA Central Region Tournament. They have been selected to host whether they qualify or not. 

Last Time Out
• The Jennies saw their 10-game winning streak come to an end as they fell out of first place in the MIAA following a 72-63 loss to Fort Hays State. The Jennies did defeat No. 16 Nebraska-Kearney on the road on Thursday before the loss at Hays Saturday. 

Previously vs. UCO/LU
• This is the second straight week UCM will look to take down an opponent who beat them earlier in the year. The Bronchos won 70-66. Five Jennies were in double-figures led by Brooke Littrell's double-double. 
• The Jennies scored a season-high 92 points in a win at Lincoln in December. They raced out to a 25-10 lead after one, but Lincoln actually took a brief two-point lead in the second. UCM came out and scored 29 in the third to put the game away. Six Jennies scored 10+ points. 

Jennies in the Rankings
• Central Missouri is ranked 15th in both the WBCA and the D2SIDA top-25 coaches poll. Despite a 1-1 week last week, they moved up in both polls.
• The defending MIAA Champion Jennies were picked to finish third this year by the league's coaches. They did receive three first-place votes. 
• The first NCAA regional rankings aren't official rankings. They are alphabetically listing teams "in consideration" for a regional bid. The Jennies have been "in consideration" for the first two weeks. An official set of rankings will come out next week prior to the MIAA Tournament. 

Individual Milestones
• Gigi McAtee is 10 rebounds away from 200 for her career. 
• Morgan VanHyfte needs 12 more points to score 400. 
• Nija Collier has entered the all-time UCM top-10 for blocks and is eighth with 84. She needs seven more to get to seventh all-time which is 91. 

Who's Hot?
• Olivia Nelson has scored in double-figures in seven straight games including a career-high 20 against Fort Hays State. She's averaging 17.4 points per game in her last five.
• Morgan VanHyfte got hot from three last week. She sank five in 10 attempts.

Starting Strong
• The Jennies have given teams trouble starting games, allowing just 26.75 points per game in the first half. They typically go into halftime leading by more than seven points.
• The third quarter is where UCM is scoring the most, averaging 19.5 points in the period.

Senior Notes
• The Jennies will honor 2 senior student-athletes and 1 senior student-manager Saturday .
• Gigi McAtee and Morgan VanHyfte have been starters the last two years. McAtee is a four-year Jennie who played on the National Championship team. VanHyfte has been at UCM for three years. 
• Student Manager Lexie Turano has been with the Jennies for three years as well. 

Scouting the Opposition
RV Central Oklahoma Bronchos (13-6, 13-6 MIAA)
• Central Oklahoma is playing a wild finish to their season with five games in eight days. The Jennies are game number four during that stretch. UCO has won four straight and is "under consideration" for a regional berth. 
• UCO has clinched a spot in the MIAA Tournament. They are currently fifth and can reach as high as fourth or as low as sixth. 
• Central Oklahoma goes through their post and specifically Kelsey Johnson. She's second in the MIAA averaging 20.7 points per game and is just shy of averaging a double-double pulling down 9.9 rebounds per game. She leads the MIAA shooting 57% from the floor. 
• UCO has turned into a much better shooting team than the last time they played UCM. They are up to fifth in the league shooting 42% and are also fifth hitting 32% from three. 
• Turnovers have been a problem with the Bronchos. They are next to last in turnover margin at -1.79.
• With the help of Johnson, UCO is a +6.2 in the rebounding department though. 
Player to Watch
#33 Kelsey Johnson (6-3, F, Sr., Washington, Okla.) - 18.9 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 57.1% FG%, 79.6% FT%

Lincoln Blue Tigers (1-19, 1-19 MIAA)
• Since winning their only game at the end of January, the Tigers have lost seven straight. They sit at the bottom of the MIAA with a 1-19 record.
• The Blue Tigers normally don't have issues scoring, they are seventh in the league at 64.3 points per game. They recently had a stretch of four straight games scoring 70+ points and last weekend scored 86 against Emporia State.
• Lincoln's struggles are on the defensive end where they allow 79 points per game, five more than the next closest team to them. Teams have scored 80 or more points on Lincoln 12 times this season.
• The Blue Tigers do some things well, including rebounding where they come down with 38.3 per game, fourth-most in the MIAA. They also average more than 12 offensive rebounds per game.
• Lincoln forces opponents into 16.5 turnovers per game, second most in the MIAA, however they give it up 17 times themselves which is also second in the league. 
• The Blue Tigers are in the bottom three in FG%, 3FG% and FT%.  
Player to Watch
#12 Niyah Jackson (5-5, G, SO, Williston, Fla.) - leading scorer at 14.8 points per game, 65 ast, 33 steals