(ST. CHARLES, Mo.) — The 12^th ranked Jennies clinched a bye to the conference quarterfinals, running away with an 88-69 win over Lindenwood on Saturday at Hyland Arena.
Junior guard Breonna Embray set career highs in points (15), three-point field goals (5) and three-point field goal attempts (7).
Senior guard BreAnna Lewis collected her eighth game of 20-plus points with 22 on 10-of-14 shooting. Lewis also knocked down two three-pointers and dished out three assists.
Keuna Flax got the offense going 10 seconds into the game with a three-pointer on an assist by Shelby Winkelmann. The Jennies (20-3, 14-2 MIAA) began to pull away with 10:14 left in the half, increasing their lead to nine, but Lindenwood scored the next five to pull within four at 28-24.
The Lady Lions tied the game for the first time with 4:56 left after a pair of layups by Caroline Bourlioux, placing the tally at 33-33.
UCM fell behind for the first time on Lindenwood’s next possession, 35-33 following a jumper by Dru Haertling.
A 14-0 run by the Jennies over the next 3:44 pushed UCM ahead for good, 47-35 thanks to a pair of three’s from Quinnecia Twine and one triple from Lewis.
UCM ended the first half on an 18-2 run to take a 51-37 lead at intermission. The Jennies shot 58.3% from the floor (21-of-36), while attempting just three free throws.
Embray hit one of her five triples with 14:03 left in the game, capping a 13-6 run for the Jennies and putting UCM ahead, 64-43.
UCM’s lead reached as many as 31 with 7:47 on the clock, putting the game out of reach. The Lady Lions were unable to get the game under 19 points, shooting just 31.4% from the floor (11-of-35) in the second half.
The Jennies received 22 points from their bench, headlined by 11 from Twine. It’s the fourth-straight game the reserves have contributed at least 20 points.
The win was the ninth for UCM away from the Multipurpose Building, matching the most road victories since the 1990-91 season (finished 9-3). The Jennies also reached their 14^th conference victory for the second-consecutive season with three games remaining on the schedule. UCM is 4-0 all-time against Lindenwood in St. Charles.
The Jennies will make their way to Bolivar, Mo. to battle Southwest Baptist next Saturday, Feb. 22 for a 1:30 p.m. tipoff.
Box Score