Jennies get much needed win over Gorillas, 65-57

The Central Missouri State Jennies desperately needed a win and they earned it as they took a 65-57 road win over the Pittsburg State Gorillas on Wednesday night to close out the first half of the MIAA schedule.

The Jennies (11-7, 4-4 MIAA) built a 16-6 lead early in the opening period and never looked back. They held the Gorillas (9-10, 2-6 MIAA) to only 31.3 percent shooting and forced 13 turnovers. Lindsey Maple had her 10 points in the first 4:54 of the half while Melissa Richardson knocked in 4-of-5 from the floor, tallying nine. Nikki Pierce led PSU with seven in the period. The Gorillas scored the final eight points of the half and went into the period down seven, 32-25.

The second stanza saw PSU chip at the lead and finally get a 43-43 tie at the 11:47 mark off two consecutive three-pointers from Kara Kinney. CMSU answered with a 10-2 run and never trailed again however. The Jens used a 24-12 rebounding advantage in the half and hit all eight of their free throws under a minute to seal the win. Neither team shot the ball well with CMSU knocking down 39.7 percent of its attempts and PSU hitting 33.9 percent on the night.

Maple tied a career-high with 22 points and broke a career-high with seven boards. Richardson finished the game with 15 while Tiffany Vincent added 10 for CMSU. Cydney Franklin was tough on the boards, tying a career-high of 12.

Pittsburg State was led by Anna Nimz with 16 points and six steals while Pierce finished with 13 points.