(ST. CHARLES, Mo.) – The No. 11 Central Missouri Jennies picked up their 11th win in the last 12 games, earning a road victory, 83-75, over the Lindenwood Lions.
Four Jens finished in double figures, led by junior BreAnna Lewis, who scored a team-high 19 points while knocking down five three-pointers in the win.
For just the second time this season, the Jennies (17-2, 9-2 MIAA) never trailed throughout the game, as Nicole Caddell put the Jens on the board within the first 11 seconds with a layup. Lindenwood (4-15, 1-10 MIAA) tied the game less than a minute later with a Sarah Schnieders layup, but after a three-pointer from BreAnna Lewis put the Jens ahead 5-2, UCM never looked back.
The Jens jumped out to a double-digit lead with a trey from Brielle Wattley, putting UCM ahead 13-3 at the 16:05 mark of the first half. The Lions answered with a quick 5-0 run to pull to within 15-10 at the 13 on a three-pointer from Marissa Lehnig.
Breonna Embray gave the Jens their biggest lead of the first half with a three-pointer at the 9:34 mark of the first half, as UCM went up 25-14. The Lions kept the Jennies in check through the rest of the first half, although Lewis and Caddell teamed up for a pair of scores in the final minute to push the UCM lead back up to 11, and the Jens went into the break ahead 44-33.
Central Missouri grew their lead through the opening minutes of the second half, going ahead 60-45 with a Quinnecia Twine three-pointer at the 15:29 mark. Twine hit another trey just a minute later, giving the Jennies their largest lead of the game at 63-49. Lindenwood would make a charge midway through the second half, using an 11-5 run to close the gap to just seven points at the 8:07 mark. Keuna Flax answered with four straight points, followed by a pair of free throws from Caddell, and the Jennies lead rose again to double-digits, as UCM held a 76-63 edge with 5:43 remaining.
One last run late in the game from the Lions was capped off by a three-pointer from LWU’s Julie Hlinak, as Lindenwood made it a five point game at 79-74 with 1:14 to play. The Jennies, who shot 16-19 from the free-throw line throughout the game, finished off the Lions with a perfect 4-for-4 performance from the charity stripe in the final minute, closing out the victory.
Along with Lewis’ 19 points, Caddell picked up her eighth double-double of the year, with 18 points and 10 rebounds. Flax also collected 18 points, continuing her streak of 12 straight games in double figures. Twine finished with 13 points, including three treys and a perfect 4-for-4 performance from the free throw line.
The Jennies continue their road trip next week, by paying visits to Central Oklahoma and Missouri Southern. The Jens will take on the Bronchos on Thursday, Feb. 7, followed by their matchup with the Lions on Saturday, Feb. 9.