WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. – Taylor Weishaar and
Hayden Heim both had double-doubles, and
Jayla Griffith tallied a career-best 16 points as the No. 14-ranked University of Central Missouri Jennies Basketball team rolled to a 56-35 win over the Northern Michigan Wildcats in the 2026-27 season-opener for both teams in the D2CCA Midwest Tip-Off Challenge on Friday, Oct. 30, at Justagame Fieldhouse.
The Jennies (1-0) are scheduled to take on No. 1-ranked and defending NCAA-II National Champion Grand Valley State (1-0) on Saturday morning, Oct. 31, at 9 a.m. in Wisconsin Dells.
UCM outscored Northern Michigan in the first quarter, 21-14, and never looked back, leading from start to finish and opening up a lead of as much as 24 points en route to the season-opening victory.
Weishaar paced all scorers in the contest, shooting 6-of-10 from the field, 1-of-3 from three-point range, and 4-of-6 at the free-throw line for her game-high 17 points, while also snagging 10 rebounds to secure her first double-double of 2026-27. Her rebound with 7:20 to go in the first quarter upped her to 500 career boards in her UCM career of 66 games. In addition, she added three steals, two blocks, and two assists in the contest.
Griffith went 6-of-7 from the field, including a 4-of-5 performance from beyond the arc, for her career-high 16 points, and Heim finished with her first double-double of the season, netting 11 points and pulling down 11 rebounds, rounding out the UCM leaders in the contest.
For the game, Central Missouri was 20-of-48 from the field for 42 percent, 7-of-18 from three-point range for 39 percent, and made nine out of 16 free-throw attempts for 56 percent. The Jennies dominated the glass, outrebounding the Wildcats (0-1), 48-31.
Alli Jirsa netted eight points to lead Northern Michigan.
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