Jennies Basketball Back Home to Host Northwest Missouri State, Missouri Western

Andrew Mather | University Photographer

Women's Basketball | 1/8/2025 9:37:00 AM

Game 16: Central Missouri (9-6, 1-3 MIAA) vs. Northwest Missouri State (7-7, 0-4 MIAA)
Thursday, Jan. 9 | 5:30 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center)
**First Responders Night**
Radio: 1450 KOKO AM, "Your Country" 98.5 The BAR FM (Greg Hassler, play-by-play; Kim Anderson, color commentary)
Live Video | Live Stats | Live Audio

Game 17: Central Missouri vs. Missouri Western (9-3, 4-0 MIAA)
Saturday, Jan. 11 | 3:10 p.m. | Warrensburg, Mo. (Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center)
**We Back Pat Game**
Radio: 1450 KOKO AM, "Your Country" 98.5 The BAR FM (Greg Hassler, play-by-play; Kim Anderson, color commentary)
Live Video | Live Stats | Live Audio

UCM Game Notes | 2024-25 UCM Roster

TIP-OFF

University of Central Missouri Jennies basketball (9-6, 1-3 MIAA) is back home in the Jerry M. Hughes Athletics Center, beginning a four-game homestand with conference contests against the Northwest Missouri State Bearcats (7-7, 0-4 MIAA) Thursday, Jan. 9, at 5:30 p.m. and Missouri Western Griffons (9-3, 4-0 MIAA) Saturday, Jan. 11, at 3:10 p.m.
Thursday's game is First Responders Night in Warrensburg while Saturday's contest will be the We Back Pat game for Alzheimer's awareness.
The Jennies are coming off a 70-66 loss at Emporia State Thursday, Jan. 2, in Emporia, Kan.
Through 15 games, Central Missouri is led by Reese Schaaf (18 ppg., 9.3 rpg., .525 FG%, .875 FT%, 22 A, 17 Stl, 5 Blk), Lauren Frost (12.4 ppg., 4.5 rpg., 73 A, .423 FG%, .391 3FG%, .767 FT%, 24 Stl) and Taylor Weishaar (11.5 ppg., 7.9 rpg., .451 FG%, .659 FT%, 28 blk).
As a team, UCM is averaging 68.1 points per game while holding opponents to 62 points per game. The Jennies are outrebounding their adversaries, 37.9 to 35.4 rebounds per game, and shooting 43.3 percent from the field, 32.3 percent from three-point range and 75.8 percent at the free-throw line.
Schaaf currently leads the MIAA in both scoring and rebounding through 15 contests with her 18 points and 9.3 boards per game. She ranks eighth in total field goals in the most recent NCAA-II National Statistics (104).
Weishaar leads the MIAA in blocks with 28 while Frost is second in the conference with her 73 assists this season.

LAST TIME OUT: JENNIES DROP CONTEST AT EMPORIA STATE, 70-66

University of Central Missouri Jennies basketball fell to the Emporia State Lady Hornets, 70-66, inside William L. White Auditorium in a MIAA game Thursday, Jan. 2.
Taylor Weishaar posted her third straight double-double of 2024-25 with 18 points and 13 rebounds to go along with a career-best six blocks while Reese Schaaf added her team-best sixth double-double of the season with 18 points and 13 rebounds, and Lauren Frost compiled her second consecutive double-double with 12 points and a career-high 10 assists, leading the Jennies.
Central Missouri shot just 37 percent from the field (25-of-68) and 37 percent from three-point range (10-of-27) and were 6-of-8 from the free-throw line for 75 percent.
Emporia State outrebounded UCM, 41-40, and outscored the Jennies in the paint, 34-30, and off turnovers, 15-4.
Gracie Gilpin tallied a game-high 22 points and made six three-pointers while Katie Horyna added 20 points, leading the Lady Hornets.

TAKING CARE OF THE BASKETBALL

Through 15 games, the Jennies rank among the top teams in NCAA Division II when it comes to limiting turnovers. UCM is averaging just 12.3 turnovers per game, which leads the MIAA and ranks seventh nationally.

JENNIES INK FIVE HIGH SCHOOL STANDOUTS

University of Central Missouri women's basketball head coach Dave Slifer announced the signing of five high school standouts during the early signing period Tuesday, Nov. 26.
Hayden Heim, a 6-3 forward from Plaxico, Kan., Makenzie Farmer, a 5-11 guard from De Soto, Kan., Jayla Griffith, a 5-8 guard from Columbia, Mo., Olivia Robben, a 6-5 center from Olathe, Kan., and Neely Schaaf, a 5-8 guard from El Dorado Springs, Mo., will all continue their education and play basketball for the Jennies beginning in the fall of 2025.

PREVIEWING 2024-25

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, Akaysha Muggeridge, Reese Schaaf and Callie Ziebell.
UCM was picked fifth in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll and sixth in the conference's preseason media poll.

SLIFER INKS FOUR-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION

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.

UP NEXT