UAFS stunned Central Missouri in the final game of last season's Pittsburg State Classic, becoming one of only three teams to beat the eventual NCAA Division II national champion Jennies.
A much-younger Lady Lions team, however, couldn't pull off another upset of the veteran-laden, No. 1-ranked Jennies on Friday afternoon in the opening game of the Pittsburg State Classic at John Lance Arena in Pittsburg, Kan.
UAFS erupted for 27 fourth-quarter points but couldn't catch up to Central Missouri, which posted at 79-64 win.
The Lady Lions (0-3) will finish the two-day, four-team classic at 1 p.m. on Saturday against the host Pittsburg State Gorillas.
Live statistics and
live stream will be available for that game, and the game will be broadcast on KHGG-FM 101.1 and KHGG-AM 1580.
UAFS shot 69 percent in the final quarter, sinking 9 of 13 shots from the field to help whittle a 28-point deficit with seven minutes to play down to as few as the 15-point final margin with eight seconds left.
The Lady Lions shot 49 percent from the field for the game (24 of 49) – they were 8-of-17 shooting from 3-point range – but shot only 57 percent from the free-throw line (8 of 14). Senior guard
Mariah Green led the Lady Lions with 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and senior forward
Ellie Lehne finished with 12 points, including two 3-pointers.
Junior forward
Tamera Gulley had a team-high five rebounds and two blocked shots, while senior guard
Daijah Brown had five steals.
Central Missouri (3-0) shot 43 percent from the field (31 of 72) – it was 10-of-29 shooting from 3-point range – and 70 percent from the free-throw line (7 of 10). Junior forward Megan Skaggs had a team-high 19 points, junior forward Kim Crown and senior guard Sydney Crockett had 13 points apiece and junior guard Emilie Jobst had 10 points off the bench.
The Jennies out-rebounded the Lady Lions by 20 rebounds (45-25) and collected 22 offensive rebounds that led to 18 second-chance points for the Jennies. Skaggs and Crown led the team with nine rebounds apiece.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
PITTSBURG STATE CLASSIC
NO. 1 CENTRAL MISSOURI 79, UAFS 64
Central Missouri 13 20 28 18 -- 79
UAFS 13 11 13 27 -- 64
Central Missouri (3-0): Skaggs 19, Crown 13, Crockett 13, Jobst 10, Redmond 6, Fleming 6, VanHyfte 6, Taylor 6
UAFS (0-3): Green 15, Lehne 12, A. Brown 9, Gulley 8, D. Brown 6, Terry 6, Elkins 6, Culley 2
