MSSU women lose to 15th ranked Central Missouri 74-47

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

Warrensburg, Mo. - The fifteenth ranked Jennies of Central Missouri proved to be too much for the Missouri Southern Lions on Saturday afternoon at the UCM Multipurpose Building.

The Lions (11-13, 6-9 MIAA) playing without their leading scorer, senior Deb Holcomb, got eleven points from sophomore Desirea Buerge while fellow sophomore Chelsey Henry added nine. Senior Amelia Bramer along with junior Jenson Maydew added eight points each. Central Missouri (19-4, 12-3 MIAA) had four players in double figures with Sydney Crockett leading the Jennies with 18 points.

Henry got the game started with a pull up jumper at the 9:04 mark that gave the Lions the early 2-0 lead. UCM's Kayonna Lee evened the game up at 2-2 about a minute later and a layup from Megan Skaggs on their next possession gave Jennies the 4-2 lead. Twice UCM pushed the lead up to four before a pair of free throws from Bramer cut it down to one, 12-11, with 2:38 left in the opening quarter. A layup from junior Bri Shavers-McNeace gave Southern their final lead at 13-12. The Jennies went on a 5-0 run before Henry sank a pair of charities at the end of the quarter to make it 18-15 UCM.

Central Missouri opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run before a three from Maydew cut the lead down to six, 24-18, with 6:06 left before halftime. The Jennies answered with another 6-0 run and then extended that run to 12-1 for a 17 point lead, 36-19, with 2:06 left to go in the half. Maydew drained another three with seven seconds left in half to cut the lead to 14, 39-25.

After a layup from Lee to open the third, Buerge pulled an old fashioned three point play to make it a 13 point deficit, the closest Southern would come, 41-28 less than a minute into the quarter. UCM answered back with a 17-4 run as they ended the third quarter with a 23 point lead, 63-37.

The Jennies pushed their lead up to 32, 70-38, with 8:06 left in the contest. Southern closed the game on a 9-1 run before a three from Central Missouri's Emilie Jobst to make it 74-47.

Southern shot 36.2 percent (14-for-47) from the field while the Jennies finished 28-for-52 (53.8 percent). The Lions out rebounded Central Missouri 31-27 and UCM forced Southern into 24 turnovers while committing just 14 miscues of their own.

Southern will return to action on Wednesday as they host the Griffons of Missouri Western at 5:30 p.m. on Robert Corn Court inside The Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.