SBU COMES CLOSE TO KNOCKING OFF #17 JENNIES

February 23, 2005

Amber Wheeler scored a game high 25 points off of 9-16 shooting from the field. Wheeler has now led the Lady Cats in scoring three out of the last four games.

[Final Stats] [Gamenotes]

WARRENSBURG, MO. … Icing the game with just 00:03 left in the game, Central Missouri State’s Anna Rorvig hit two free throws to give the #17 Jennies (22-5/13-4) a 75-71 win over Southwest Baptist University (11-15/5-12). Rorvig nailed a baseline jumper from 10 feet with 00:03 left and then intercepted SBU’s full court pass to seal the win.

Amber Wheeler led all scorers with 25 points as she was 9-of-16 from the floor. Jenny Hancock added 14 points and led SBU in rebounding with nine and Jennifer Clymore scored 12. Rorvig had 16 for the Jennies.

SBU jumped out to a four-point lead in the first 1:16 as Hancock hit two free throws. Hancock then gave SBU a five-point lead, 40-35, at the 16:13 mark. In the first four minutes of the second half, CMSU was called for six fouls. They then went 14:04 without getting another fouled called on them. With 1:52 to go in the game, the Jennies were finally whistled for their seventh team foul.

CMSU kept chipping away at SBU’s lead, but the Lady Bearcats stayed strong. With 15:42 to go in the game, the Wheeler put SBU back up by four, 42-38, on two free throws. In the next four minutes, CMSU went on a 12-3 run to take a 50-45 lead. A Wheeler layup cut the lead to three and then at the 9:47 mark Hancock grabbed an offensive rebound and put it back up to bring SBU within one, 50-49.

The Jennies scored the next five points for a six-point advantage only to see SBU answer back with a 10-3 run to retake the lead, 59-58, on a Clymore three-pointer with 4:29 remaining. CMSU’s Kara Rewerts gave CMSU the lead back just 19 seconds later but Clymore hit another three-pointer for a two-point SBU lead, 62-60.

The Jennies responded with a 5-0 run and SBU never recovered. SBU tied the game at 71 with just 00:31 left in the game on a Wheeler jump shot only to see Rorvig hit the game winner with 00:03 left in the game. Wheeler scored seven of the last nine points for SBU.

In the first three minutes of the first half, SBU claimed a 9-0 lead. Jenny Hancock put SBU up 2-0 right off the back followed by a Smith bucket. Wheeler then hit a layup and three-pointer in 40 seconds for the 9-0 lead (17:16). At this point, CMSU coach Dave Slifer called his first timeout of the game to stop SBU’s run.

At the 16:08 mark, CMSU hit their first shot of the game when Tiffany Vincent finally found the net. SBU made it a 10-point lead with 14:01 remaining when Casey Beavers put back her own rebound to make it 13-3.

In the next five minutes, CMSU widdled away at SBU’s lead and cut to three, 17-14 on a Bethany Orendorff shot. The Lady Bearcats pushed their lead back to six, 22-16, at the 6:18 mark only to see the Jennies have an 8-4 run in four minutes to tie the game at 28 (1:58). Hancock gave SBU the lead, again, when she layed one in off the backboard with 1:34 to go. Anna Rorvig netted two free throws to tie the game at 30 only to see Wheeler hold for the last shot of the half as she connected from 13 feet to give SBU the momentum, 32-30, heading into the locker room.

SBU finished the game shooting 47% from the floor and 42% from beyond the arc. They also hit 11-14 free throws. CMSU shot 45% from the floor and 31% from three-point land. SBU also out rebounded CMSU, 38-27. CMSU forced 21 SBU turnovers.

The Lady Bearcats will finish out the regular season as they host #6 Emporia State on Saturday, February 26, at 5:30 p.m. in the Meyer Sports Center.