(WARRENSBURG, Mo.) –– For the second straight game, guard BreAnna Lewis led the Jennies attack, scoring 20 points as Central Missouri defeated the Evangel Crusaders, 87-37, Monday night at the UCM Multipurpose Building.
Four Jennies finished in double figures, as UCM moves to 2-0 on the year.
Central Missouri’s defense was dominant, holding the Crusaders to just 9.7 percent shooting in the first half (3-of-31), and giving up just nine points before the intermission.
The Jens forced a total of 26 turnovers, leading to 37 points. Senior forward Nicole Caddell had a relatively quiet night on offense, but produced on the other end of the floor, leading the team with four blocks and three steals, while pulling down five defensive boards.
Caddell also moved into ninth place on UCM’s all-time blocks list during the game, and now has 75 blocked shots in her UCM career, passing Karen Chalupny (1987-91) for 10th, and Katie Vaska (1998-02) for ninth.
The Jennies scored the first seven points of the game, highlighted by a three-pointer and another field goal from senior Erin Redmond. Evangel closed the gap to five points at the 13:10 mark in the first half, with a layup from EU’s Sierra McSpadden.
From that point, Central Missouri did not allow another point for the rest of the half, and then held the Crusaders scoreless for the first 2 1/2 minutes of the second half. The Jennies recorded a 32-0 run, building up a 46-9 lead.
Juniors Quinnecia Twine and Symone Murray both scored in double figures in their second straight game, scoring 14 and 12 points, respectively. Freshman Shelby WInkelmann also reached double figures, scoring 13 points off 5-of-8 shooting, and a perfect 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. Winkelmann also posted a game-high five assists in the win.
Central Missouri’s lead briefly reached the 50-point mark in the second half, reaching a high of 54 points after Brielle Wattley‘s layup with 5:02 in the second half made it a 78-24 Jennies lead.
The win marks the second consecutive season that Central Missouri has started the year at 2-0, and extends the current winning streak against non-conference opponents to eight straight games.
The Jennies continue the current homestand Thursday when they host the squad from Harding, Ark. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.