Press Release

Jan. 26, 2008

First Half Trey's Carry Bearcats to Win

Box Score

MARYVILLE -- The Northwest Missouri State women's basketball team shot 64.3 percent (9-of-14) from beyond the arc in the first half and tied a school record with 14 trey's in a 98-84 victory against Central Missouri. The nine 3-pointer's are the most hit by Northwest in a half this season.

The win moves Northwest to 11-6 overall and 6-2 in the MIAA and drops the Jennies to 6-11 overall and 1-7 in MIAA play.

Meghan Brue set the tone early, hitting 3-pointer's on the Bearcat's first two possessions. Northwest increased its lead to 14-5, forcing Central to call a 30-second timeout five minutes into the game.

The Bearcats knocked down the last four 3-pointer's of the first half, outscoring the Jennies 15-3 in the final four minutes. Northwest hit as many 3-pointer's as Central hit field goals in the first half and forced 12 Jennie turnovers.

Central outscored the Bearcats 58-44 in the second half, but the 28-point halftime lead would be too much for the Jennies to overcome. Central would cut the lead to just nine points on two free throws with 4:43 remaining, but a technical foul on head coach Dave Slifer gave the Bearcats two-free's and took away the Jennies' momentum.

Six Bearcats broke into double-digits paced by Amber Vandevender and Kelli Nelson, who each poured in 16 points. Six different Bearcats also drained a 3-pointer with Nelson, Lauren Williams and Jessica Burton each knocking down three. April Miller and Nelson each dished out five assists.

UP NEXT: Bearcats host No. 16 Emporia State Wednesday, Jan. 30 at 5:30 p.m.

Individual Notes

• Amber Vandevender's 16 points and Jessica Burton's 13 points were both season-highs.
• Vandevender recorded three assists and has now totaled 299 in her career, including two years at North Central College.
• Andrea Dill sat out the game with a back injury.
• It's the fourth straight game that Mandi Schumacher has posted double-digits.
• It's the third straight game that Lauren Williams and Kelli Nelson hit double-digits.

Team Notes

• It's the second time this season the Bearcats have had six players score in double-digits. The other time was versus Chaminade on Dec. 16, 2007.
• Northwest is now 22-54 all-time versus Central and 13-17 in Bearcat Arena against the Jennies.
• The Bearcats held Central to 23 rebounds, the lowest by any opponent this season.
• The 54.1 percent field goal percentage ranks second-highest this season and it's the fifth time Northwest has shot better than 50 percent.
• Northwest tied its season-high with 24 assists.