by JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — The Jennies received scoring from nine different players, five of whom reached double-figures, preserving a 78-63 victory at Lincoln on Wednesday and moving closer to securing a first round conference bye.
Senior Revonnia Howard led UCM with 15 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including her first career three-pointer. Redshirt junior Danielle Barry scored a career-best 13 points and pulled down four rebounds.
After falling behind, 4-3 in the first 4:16 of the game, the Jennies gained the lead and never looked back. Barry gave the Jennies an offensive boost off the bench in the first 5:45, scoring four points as UCM built a 7-4 lead.
Howard splashed a triple and dropped in a layup on the next possession, increasing the lead to 12-5.
UCM went on an 8-2 run over the next 2 ½ minutes, finished by a three-point play from senior Brielle Wattley, which opened a 13-point lead.
Lincoln worked to pull back to within four points at 27-23 with 4:02 remaining in the first half, but junior Tayler Weiks nailed back-to-back three-pointers, making it a 10-point game.
By halftime, the Jennies bench scored 19 of the team’s 35 points, eight apiece from Weiks and Barry. UCM shot 44.4% (4-of-9) from three point range in the first half of play.
Junior Shelby Winkelmann and senior Jasmine Thompson got the offense going to start the second half, combining for eight points and helping UCM to a 12-point game.
Lincoln closed the gap to five points at 43-38 with just over 15:00 minutes left to go in the game, but a trey by Winkelmann pushed the Jennies’ lead to eight.
Up by nine points, Thompson hit a running jump shot, while Howard deposited a layup, giving the Jennies a 51-38 cushion.
Junior Danielle Randle came through with a three-point play to make it 54-38 at the 11:37 mark, but Lincoln’s 5-0 run kept the game to within 11 points with under 10 minutes remaining.
UCM saw its lead slip to seven points at 58-51 following a three-point play from Kelsey Williams with 7:46 left.
Leading 70-59 with 2 ½ minutes to play, senior Justina Prairie Chief (Cheyenne & Arapaho Tribe) put the game away, scoring underneath the basket and drawing a foul to complete the three-point play and putting the Jennies ahead by 14 points.
The Jennies’ advantage never dipped under 10 points for the rest of the game, as UCM won its seventh straight game against Lincoln and 10th in a row in Jefferson City.
Thompson and Winkelmann added 11 points each, shooting a combined 9-of-19 from the floor and 3-of-5 from long distance.
UCM’s bench provided 27 points on the evening, its largest total since November 29 at West Florida (37).
Central Missouri will go for its fourth straight win this Saturday, February 14 at 1:30 p.m. against Lindenwood University.
