Loper Women Can't Catch the Jennies, 78-68

Kearney, Neb. – Senior wing Reese Schaaf and sophomore wing Taylor Weishaar combined for 58 points and 31 rebounds to help Central Missouri hold off Nebraska Kearney, 78-68, Thursday night at Buckle Court.
UCM (15-5, 9-2) takes the season series from the Lopers (11-11, 4-7) and have won 17 of the 22 meetings between the two since 2013.
The Jennies never trailed and led by as many as 25 points, but UNK hit seven second half threes and used a full court press to force 18 turnovers. The Lopers whittled the deficit to six with 3:36 to go, 67-61, but didn’t get closer as they missed four second half free throws and a few shots at the rim.
“We have a decision to make as a group. Coaches, players, whatever; we’ve got to find seven that’ll play as hard as we can play for 40 minutes,” said UNK head coach Drew Johnson. “Credit to our players for not giving in but you’ve got find a way to fight like that earlier in the game.”
Schaaf (18.2 ppg, 8.4 rpg) and Weishaar (14.4 ppg, 7.5 rpg) rank 1-2 on the Jens in points and rebounds on the season and really showed that tonight. The pair combined to go 18 of 31 (3 of 5 threes) from the field and 19 of 20 at the line. They had 27 defensive rebounds with the 6-3 Weishaar also swatting five shots. Overall, UCM out shot UNK by 13 percentage points and was plus 22 on the glass.
“They have a lot of talented players, but they’ve been susceptible to turning it over a little bit. You can’t bury yourself by 25 in this league; if it’s 15, you’ve got a chance,” said Johnson. 
True freshman guard Makenzie Farmer (13 points, three boards) was the only other Jen in double digits. For UNK, Kansas junior forward Jordan Sears (19 points; 3 of 6 threes) and Lincoln senior Jillian Aschoff (12 points, five assists, four rebounds, three steals) led the way. Off the bench, Lincoln junior forward Brinly Christensen hit 4 of 7 threes to score 12 with guards Saniya Simmons (Olathe, Kan.) and Emma Rowan (Magnolia, Texas) combining for 13 points and five rebounds.
UNK hosts Washburn on Saturday. The Ichabods (14-6, 7-4) fell at No. 5 Fort Hays State tonight, 59-47.