By JASON KETZ
Sports Editor

(WARRENSBURG, Mo., digitalBURG) — On March 6, 2015, Jennies head coach Dave Slifer reached a head coaching milestone with win number 600 of his career, which was also win number 216 as Jennies head coach. This makes Slifer second in all-time wins in program history, trailing the current holder, Jon Pye, by seven wins entering play in last night’s home game against Lindenwood.

Over the winter break, the Jennies were able to find success, going 4-3 even with their tough schedule as they faced the No.3, then the No.1 ranked teams in the country in back-to-back games.

Jennies easily handle rival Northwest

The Jennies clashed with rival Northwest at home. Central Missouri scored the first bucket of the game and never looked back as it was a dominant first half of play leading 40-23 at halftime. The second half was more of the same as the Jennies cruised to an 85-39 victory. Senior guard Taylor Weiks led the Jennies with a career-high 26 points.

No. 3 Emporia State dictates fourth quarter

The Jennies traveled to Emporia, Kansas, where they met up with No. 3 Emporia State. Through the first three quarters of the game it was tightly contested as the score was tied at 43. But in the fourth quarter, it was all Hornets as they were able to pull away with a 71-55 win. Senior guard Shelby Winkelmann and senior forward Ashley Jones had 15 points apiece.

Jennies lose to No.1 Fort Hays State

The Jennies welcomed in the No. 1 team in the nation Fort Hays State to the Multi on Dec. 17. The Tigers dictated the offense in the first two quarters as they took a 35- 21 halftime lead. After a third quarter where the Tigers extended their lead to 21, the Jennies pulled to within single digits with less than three minutes to play. That’s as close as things would get as they fell to the Tigers 59-50.

Jennies come from behind to beat UNK

Central Missouri avenged their previous home loss against Nebraska-Kearney. The first two quarters of the game were controlled by the Lopers who took a 41-29 lead to halftime. The Jennies would cut the deficit down to nine in the third. But as play began in the final period, Winkelmann took over as the Jennies were able to come from behind to win 64-62. Winkelmann scored 27 points and added four rebounds.

Jennies start the New Year with win

As the calendar flipped, the Jennies hosted Southwest Baptist on the fourth. After trailing by seven at halftime, a couple of three pointers by the Jennies gave them the lead with 2:20 left to go in the third quarter. Thanks to a 29-point night from Winkelmann, the Jennies were able to come away with the 77-74 win.

Jennies handle Pitt State on the road

The next test for the Jennies was on the road at Pittsburgh State on Jan. 7. Central Missouri outscored the Gorillas in three of the four quarters in this one, as they were able to come away with the 87-69 victory. Two Jennies would pick up double-doubles on the evening. Winkelmann scored 28 points and added 10 assists, while Jones had 12 points and had 11 of the team’s 30 rebounds.

Lions hold off late Jennies comeback

The last game of the break was in Joplin against Missouri Southern. The Jennies tried to bring their late comeback heroics into this game as they found themselves down by five after three quarters. As the fourth quarter began, the Jennies were able to find their rhythm as they ended up taking the lead with just under four minutes to play. But clutch shooting from the Lions proved to be too much as Central Missouri fell 62-59. Winkelmann was able to push her 20- plus point streak to four, adding to her 24-point performance.

Overall, this was a good break for the Jennies as they faced back-to-back top-five ranked opponents in both Emporia and Fort Hays State, who played tough. But with a winning record over this stretch, the team has really been able to see improvement and Slifer has noticed it.

“Anytime that you get into the middle part of the season, you are going to get your offensive sets figured out,” Slifer said. “We caught a run where we were able to play good basketball, winning three in a row ,which has given our team a great deal of confidence.”

A player who has been able to keep confidence throughout her career is Winkelmann. Not only was Winkelmann the leading scorer for the Jennies over the break, she became the 25th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point club in the win over Nebraska-Kearney. Slifer was quick to point out how much of an offensive presence she is.

“She is a dynamic offensive player,” Slifer said. “She is so hard to guard as a player because she puts so much pressure on the other team, and whenever she is able to score or dish to her teammates she’s a hard player to play against.”

With 13 games remaining in the regular season, Slifer and the Jennies know that there is still much work to be done before the MIAA tournament.

“One thing that we have is regarded by some as the toughest schedule in the country down the stretch where we are playing most of the top teams in the MIAA conference twice,” Slifer said. “But there is still plenty of time to make up ground in the standings, but we want to get as high up as possible to set us up well for tournament time.”

The Jennies are at home this Saturday as they host Lincoln. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. in the Multipurpose Building.