Game 23: Central Missouri (15-7, 11-4Â MIAA) vs. Missouri Southern (14-5, 11-3 MIAA)
Saturday, Feb. 5 | 1 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Multipurpose Building)
Radio: 1450 KOKO, 107.9 FM, 98.5 The BAR
Game 24: Central Missouri vs. Pittsburg State (12-8, 7-7 MIAA)
Monday, Feb. 7 | 5:30Â p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Multipurpose Building)
Radio: 1450 KOKO, 107.9 FM, 98.5 The BAR
Tip-Off
• Jennies basketball is scheduled to host a pair of MIAA contests inside the Multipurpose Building Saturday, Feb. 5, at 1 p.m. vs. Missouri Southern and Monday, Feb. 7, at 5:30 p.m. vs. Pittsburg State.
• Central Missouri has won seven of its last nine games coming into Saturday's contest against Missouri Southern.
Storylines
• UCM enters the weekend at 15-7 overall and 11-4 in the MIAA after splitting a pair of MIAA games last week. The Jennies fell to No. 25-ranked Missouri Western in overtime, 82-77, Jan. 26 before winning, 58-54, on the road at Northwest Missouri State Jan. 29.
• Through 22 games, the Jennies are led by redshirt freshman forward
Brooke Littrell (19.7 ppg., 9.3 RPG, 1.3 APG, .845 FT%), redshirt senior forward
Nija Collier (19.5 ppg., 11.1 RPG, 1.5 BPG, .524 FG%) and redshirt freshman guard
Olivia Nelson (13.7 PPG, 3.0 RPG, 4.7 APG, 1.6 SPG).
• Littrell (second), Collier (third) and Nelson (ninth) rank in the top-10 in scoring in the MIAA through 22 games.
• Collier leads the conference on the glass with her 11.1 rebounds per game while Littrell is fourth in rebounding at 9.3 rebounds per game.
• Collier is third in the MIAA in field-goal percentage (155-296, .524) while Littrell is fifth (157-329, .477).
• Collier is fourth in NCAA-II in total rebounds after 22 games with 245. She is 15th in NCAA-II and first in the conference with 11.1 rebounds per game. In addition, she is 24th in NCAA-II with her 19.5 points per game.
• Collier's 13 double-doubles leads the MIAA and is third in NCAA-II.
• Nelson is third in the MIAA in assists per game at 4.7, while Collier is second in blocks with 1.5 per game.
• Nelson ranks 11th in total assists in NCAA-II with 104 in 22 games.
•
Charley Bovaird leads the MIAA and is second in NCAA-II in minutes played at 795:47 through 22 games.
Individual Milestones
 •
Nija Collier is second in career blocks at Central Missouri with 131. She is 89 blocks away from tying former UCM standout Kendra Banzet for most career blocks. Banzet had 220 from 1991-95.
Last Time Out for the Jennies
•
Nija Collier scored 22 points and pulled down 13 rebounds for her 13th double-double of the season, leading Central Missouri Jennies basketball to a 58-54 victory over the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats Saturday, Jan. 29, inside Bearcat Arena.
• Collier, a redshirt senior from Roseville, Mich., went 8-of-17 from the floor and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free-throw line for her game-high 22 points.
Olivia Nelson and
Brooke Littrell each netted 13 points, rounding out the Jennies in double figures for the game.
• Central Missouri shot 44 percent from the field, going 19-for-43, and were 4-of-11 from three-point range for 36 percent. UCM went an impressive 80 percent at the free-throw line, making 16 out of 20 attempts.
• The Jennies outrebounded the Bearcats, 33-32.
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.
Up Next
• Central Missouri goes to Topeka, Kan., for a road game at Washburn Saturday, Feb. 12, at 1 p.m.
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