Jennies upset 10th ranked Emporia State, 65-59

                The Central Missouri Jennies snapped their two game losing skid by upsetting the 10th ranked Emporia State Hornets, 65-59 on Saturday afternoon at the Multipurpose Building. The victory was the third straight against ESU, and the first at home since the 2001-02 season.
            The Hornets (17-5, 10-3 MIAA) shot the ball well early, allowing them to race out to a 19-9 lead almost halfway through the opening half. Andrea Leiker and Michelle Stueve combined for 10 points in the run. The Jennies (13-9, 6-7 MIAA) cut it to two with 8:55 on the clock, sparked by five points from Stephenie Cook. Emporia, however, scored 14 of the final 20 points to head into the locker room with a 33-23 lead.
            ESU was 14-of-30 (46.7 percent) from the floor in the opening frame, while the Jens were held to 28 percent (7-of-25). Lindsey Maple scored seven points in the half to pace UCM. Stueve and Leiker had eight apiece to lead ESU.
            The Hornets pushed their lead to 13 with a three at the start of the second half, and then Central Missouri began their comeback. A 12-2 run, pulling within 38-35 at the 14:05 mark put the game back in reach. The Jennies tied the game at 50 on Ashley Millham’s lay-up with 6:28 remaining, but Emporia State came right back with five straight points over the next minute to retake the lead. Meagan Fromm’s jumper gave the Jens a 59-57 advantage with 2:12 to play, their first lead since scoring the game’s opening bucket. Her basket was part of a 12-2 rally in which she had seven points. Central Missouri’s defense came up big down the stretch, forcing three turnovers and holding the Hornets without a field goal for nearly three minutes. ESU cut the lead to 62-59 on Carolyn Dorsey’s lay-up with 0:19 left, but UCM went 3-of-4 from the foul line in the final seconds to secure the victory.
            After a sluggish first half shooting the ball Central Missouri connected on 45.2 percent (14-of-31) from the floor, while holding Emporia to only 10-of-38 (26.3 percent) from the field. The Jennies out rebounded the taller Hornets by a 43-to-38 margin.
            Maple finished with 18, becoming the 19th player in school history with 1,000 points, to lead Central Missouri. Fromm nearly recorded her second double-double of the season with 14, 11 in the second half, and nine rebounds.
            Stueve led three ESU players in double figures with 12. Leiker and Dorsey had 10 each.