SIOUX FALLS, S.D.-Minnesota State Moorhead head coach Karla Nelson got emotional during the postgame interview after her team lost in the first round of the NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament for a second consecutive season.
Central Missouri scored 26 points in the first quarter and played stingy defense to help fuel a 66-49 victory against the Dragons on Friday afternoon in the Central Region quarterfinals at the Elmen Center.
Dragons seniors Drew Sannes and Cassidy Thorson sat next to Nelson, who started to tear up as she talked about her senior class, which also includes Shannon Galegher.
"These guys have great character and I am extremely proud of what they've done over the past four years," Nelson said choked up with emotion. "I am extremely proud what they've done over the past four years. I hope nobody judges these guys by how they ended their career because we've done a lot of great things."
The Dragons (23-6) tied a program record with 16 consecutive wins during the regular season, but lost three of their final four games, including Friday's loss. Central Missouri (25-3) also defeated MSUM in the first round of the Division II tournament last season.
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"We just have to get to a point where, we have to play better at the end of the year and we haven't done that the last couple years," Nelson said. "That's probably the most disappointing thing."
Central Missouri shot 59 percent (10 of 17) from the floor in the first quarter, while forcing six MSUM turnovers. Jennies sophomore Megan Skaggs scored 13 points in the opening quarter on 5-for-5 shooting from the field, including three 3-pointers.
"I feel like they were all in rhythm," Skaggs said.
The 6-foot Skaggs capped a string of nine consecutive Central Missouri points with a layup that gave the Jennies a 13-4 lead with 5 minutes, 28 seconds to play in the first quarter. Senior guard Kelsey Williams added a layup with 3 seconds to play in the quarter to give Central Missouri a 26-12 lead, which it carried into the second quarter.
"Putting up the 26-spot in the first quarter really got things going," Central Missouri head coach Dave Slifer said.
The Jennies didn't let MSUM back into the game after the opening 10 minutes. The Dragons couldn't get closer than nine points of the lead over the final three quarters. Central Missouri had 9-0 runs in the first, second and third quarters.
"They came out ready to go," said Sannes, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds. "We let them get going way too fast."
The Dragons committed 12 turnovers in the first half and finished with 17. Central Missouri scored 16 points off turnovers in the opening half to help build a 44-25 halftime lead. MSUM shot 37 percent (11 of 30) from the field through two quarters.
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"They just came out with a lot of pressure," said Thorson, who finished with 10 points. "We knew they were going to, but we made silly mistakes turning it over, not handling the pressure very well."
Junior guard Paige Redmond paced the Jennies with 19 points, six rebounds and five assists. Skaggs added 17 point for Central Missouri, which played with the lead for the final 37 minutes.
"We ran into a team that just played exceptionally well, especially in the first half so you have to give them credit," Nelson said. "I like the fact that we played hard until the very end."
MSUM 12 25 33 49
CM 26 44 57 66
MSUM (23-6): Thorson 3-8 2-2 10, Fech 0-0 0-0 0, Volkert 3-13 0-0 7, Sannes 6-12 0-0 12, Hintz 5-9 0-0 10, Selensky 1-2 0-0 2, Borowicz 3-12 0-0 6, Galegher 0-1 0-0 0, Liegel 0-0 0-0 0, Green 1-3 0-0 2. Totals 22-60 2-2 49.
CM (25-3): Redmond 7-15 2-2 19, Lee 4-9 3-3 11, Williams 2-6 0-0 4, M. Skaggs 7-13 0-0 17, Fleming 3-12 2-2 8, McAtee 0-0 0-0 0, Crockett 1-1 0-0 2, Taylor 0-0 0-0 0, Shipps 2-3 1-1 5, S. Skaggs 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-59 8-8 66.
3-point goals: MSUM 3-15 (Thorson 2-5, Volkert 1-3, Sannes 0-2, Borowicz 0-5), CM 6-19 (Redmond 3-7, Williams 0-2, M. Skaggs 3-5, Fleming 0-5). Total fouls: MSUM 11, CM 10. Rebounds: MSUM 41 (Hintz 12), CM 29 (three players with 6). Assists: MSUM 11 (Volkert 5), CM 13 (Redmond 5). Turnovers: MSUM 17 (Volkert 6), CM 9 (Lee 3). A--238.
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