Jennies Basketball Back Home to Host Maryville Thursday Evening

Women's Basketball | 11/20/2024 8:25:00 AM

• University of Central Missouri Jennies basketball (4-2) is scheduled to return home to the Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center in Warrensburg for a 5:30 p.m. non-conference game against the Maryville Saints (1-3) Thursday, Nov. 21.
• The Jennies are coming off a 2-0 week on the road, winning at MSU Moorhead Nov. 14, 70-52, before emerging victorious at Augustana (S.D.) Nov. 16, 80-71.
• Through six games, Central Missouri is led by Reese Schaaf (16.2 ppg., 10.5 rpg., .500 FG%, .737 FT%, 6 A, 5 Stl), Lauren Frost (13.7 ppg., 3.8 rpg., 26 A, .485 FG%, .368 3FG%, 1.000 FT%), Cierra Smith (12 ppg., 3.7 rpg., .406 FG%, .900 FT%, 10 A, 5 Blk, 10 Stl) and Allie Clevenger (10.8 ppg., 3 rpg., .442 FG%, .500 3FG%, .800 FT%, 12 A, 4 Stl).
• As a team, UCM is averaging 69.7 points per game while holding opponents to 63.5 points per game. The Jennies are outrebounding their adversaries, 38.3 to 33.7 rebounds per game, and shooting 45.3 percent from the field, 34.7 percent from three-point range and 77.7 percent at the free-throw line.
• Schaaf currently leads the MIAA in rebounding through six contests with her 10.5 boards per game and is second in all of NCAA Division II in total rebounds with 63 and double-doubles with three.
• Frost is ranked second in the conference and seventh in Division II with 26 assists in six games.

• Reese Schaaf was named the MIAA Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week for her performance on the basketball court during the week of Nov. 11-17.
• Schaaf averaged a double-double on the week with 22 points and 11.5 rebounds per game as Central Missouri collected road wins over Minnesota State-Moorhead and Augustana. For the week, she shot an impressive 62 percent from the floor (18-of-29), 50 percent from the three-point range (1-of-2) and 88 percent at the free-throw line (7-of-8). In the Jennies 70-52 win over MSU-Moorhead, Schaaf netted 21 points and snagged 13 boards before tallying 22 points and compiling 10 rebounds in the 80-71 victory at Augustana. Schaaf has recorded a double-double in three of the Jennies six games this season.

• Central Missouri Jennies basketball posted an 80-71 victory over the Augustana (S.D.) Vikings Saturday afternoon, Nov. 16, inside the Elmen Center.
• Reese Schaaf tallied her third double-double of the season with 23 points and 10 rebounds while freshman Taylor Weishaar compiled a career-high 18 points, Lauren Frost added 12 points and dished out a game-high seven assists, and Cierra Smith chipped in 11 points, leading UCM in the victory.
• Central Missouri shot 48 percent from the floor (30-for-62) and were 77 percent from the free-throw line (17-of-22) for the game. The Jennies outrebounded the Vikings (0-4), 33-32 and tallied 20 points off 12 Augustana turnovers.

• The 2024-25 Central Missouri Jennies welcome back two starters from last season's team that posted an overall record of 21-8 and a MIAA mark of 15-7. Starting guards Lauren Frost and Allie Clevenger are both back on the court for this season and will be joined by returners Shannon Karlin, Cierra Smith and Rylee Vierthaler.
• UCM welcomes six new student-athletes to the roster in high school freshmen Jolie Bonderer and Taylor Weishaar, and transfers Nicole Davis, Ashton Verhulst, Reese Schaaf and Callie Ziebell.
• Central Missouri has arguably one of the toughest schedules in NCAA Division II this season. UCM will face four teams ranked in the WBCA Division II Preseason Top-25 poll in Pittsburg State (No. 13), Ferris State (No. 15), Southern Nazarene (No. 22) and Fort Hays State (No. 23). In addition, the Jennies are slated to face seven teams that advanced to the NCAA tournament in 2023-24.
• UCM was picked fifth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll and sixth in the conference's preseason media poll.

• Jennies head coach Dave Slifer, now in his 21st season as the leader of the program, signed a four-year contract extension through the 2027-28 season in the summer of 2024.
• The contract is highly competitive in the MIAA and NCAA Division II and provides incentives for MIAA championships, postseason appearances and achievements, coach of the year awards, and academic achievement.
• Slifer has led Jennies basketball to 12 NCAA Division II postseason berths, including an NCAA-II National Championship in 2018 with the Jennies best record in program history, as well as four MIAA Championships and a pair of NCAA-II Central Region Titles.
• Among active head coaches, Slifer is the second winningest coach in Division II and ranks in the top-10 among all three divisions with his 805 career victories in 35 years as a head coach.
• He is the winningest coach in both Central Missouri and MIAA women's basketball history and enters 2024-25 with 421 wins in 20 seasons as head coach of the Jennies.

• The Jennies remain at home in Warrensburg, hosting Avila (Mo.) in a non-conference contest Tuesday, Nov. 26, at 6 p.m. inside the Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center.