WARRENSBURG, Mo. – Northeastern State (3-8 in MIAA) women's basketball fell 86-62 to No. 22 Central Missouri (9-3 in MIAA) as it tore down 23 offensive rebounds and took the lead for good at the 4:34 mark. The RiverHawks were without senior
Cenia Hayes and her 16.0 points and team-leading 6.6 rebounds per game.
Classmate
Shae Sanchez paced with the first four NSU points and finished with 14 points on 6-12 shooting. The RiverHawks struggled to keep pace with UCM but shot their best percentage clip in five games at 41.8.
"The inside presence and athleticism that Central Missouri has, we knew it was going to be a challenge," head coach
Fala Bullock said. "You're going to have to fight for some things that are out of your control…if we could do a little better on the rebounding I think the gap is not as large."
"We hadn't been shooting it very well and been in close games but not be able to seal the deal because of that. It was nice to see our girls gain some confidence back in their shot and feel good about what they are doing offensively."
NSU allowed the Jennies to pull out to an 8-2 lead to start the game but battled back to tie it on a sophomore
Zaria Collins jump shot with 6:15 remaining. In the ensuing possession, she rattled in a jumper to give Northeastern State its only lead, 10-8. The forward, who averages 18.0 points and 6.1 rebounds, finished with 15 points and six rebounds to lead the RiverHawks in both categories. Although trailing by 12 at the end of one quarter the RiverHawks shot 53.8 percent, the best mark since Dec. 5, 2020.
At the half, the Jennies held a 50-28 advantage and outrebounded the RiverHawks by 13 and had 12 offensive boards.
To open the third quarter Sanchez drew a charge, but Northeastern State was unable to slow the offensive rhythm. The stanza saw the teams combine for 48 points and five RiverHawks scored.
In the final 10 minutes, freshman
Patrycja Pawlata set her career-high with a crafty post move and junior
Kiarra Brooks knocked down a 3-pointer to set her NSU-high. The RiverHawks held UCM to 3-13 shooting to close out the contest.
Central Missouri was led by Nija Collier with a 21-point, 18-rebound double-double in 25 minutes of play. The Jennies shot 46.8 percent and had nine steals.
Northeastern State is back in action Saturday when it looks to bounce back and build off the offensive rhythm at winless Lincoln. Tipoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Jefferson City.
NOTES:
Cenia Hayes missed her first game since her freshman season, Jan. 27, 2017…NSU led with 19 free throw attempts compared to nine for UCM…The +24 rebound margin is the best for an opponent in three seasons…Both teams shot 25.0 percent from 3-point distance, but UCM attempted twice as many.
