(SEARCY, AR)---Central Missouri (24-6) held MSU Moorhead without a made 3-pointer in 17 attempts as the Jennies gritted out a 56-45 NCAA Division II Central Region women's basketball tournament opening round triumph.
Megan Skaggs paced UCM with 17 points and Ashley Duffy notched 16 points to go with nine rebounds. Kayonna Lee contributed 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference regular season champion MSU Moorhead saw two players combine for 38 of the Dragons' 45 points. Jacky Volkert led all scorers with 22 points. NSIC Player of the Year Drew Sannes chipped in 16.
Both teams struggled in the opening half to hit shots until MSUM's Volkert caught fire with seven of her 14 first half points and sparked a 9-0 run that helped the Dragons build a 20-14 lead midway through the second quarter. UCM responded with a 6-2 run to close the half and narrow the MSUM lead to 22-20 at the break.
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Paige Redmond and Skaggs spurred a Jennies' 14-0 burst to open the second half. MSUM went scoreless during the first 6:59 of the third quarter as Central Missouri eased out to a 34-22 advantage. The Dragons responded with a 10-1 spurt to get back within 35-32 after three quarters.
MSUM owned a 47-37 rebounding edge, but the Dragons were minus-10 in turnovers at 18-8. The Jennies hit on 19 of 60 from the floor, while the Dragons connected on 17 of 57 shots.
Central Missouri advances to face host Harding in Saturday's 7:30 p.m. semifinal.
NOTES:
---MSU Moorhead was limited to a season-low 45 points in each of their back-to-back losses to close the season. The Dragons fell 54-45 to Sioux Falls in the NSIC Tournament.
---Central Missouri is 21-19 all-time in NCAA Division II women's basketball post-season games.
---MSU Moorhead is 1-4 in their NCAA Division II post-season history.
---Central Missouri is 5-1 in neutral site games in the 2016-17 season.
