Box Score Central Missouri set up senior forward Keuna Flax at the top of the arc for a three-point shot and the leading scorer in the MIAA sank the trey to start the game against host Lindenwood.

After Flax flexed her shooting hand, the Lady Lions scrambled to keep pace with the up-tempo Jennies and took a 35-33 lead with 4 minutes 26 seconds left in the first half on sophomore guard Dru Haertling's jump shot. The Lady Lions limited Flax to 13 points in the game, seven below her season average.

But they weren't able to contain senior guard BreAnna Lewis or new starting point guard Breonna Embray as the Jennies ended the half on a 18-2 run and ran away with a 88-69 victory Saturday at Hyland Arena. Lewis scored a game-high 22 points on 10 of 14 shooting from the field, and Embray sank as many shots (5) from three-point range as she had all season.

"They shoot (.313) percent from the three-point line, and we really didn't tweak how we guarded because we found success with it," Lindenwood coach Tony Francis said. "I had plans B, C and D ready to go because they made adjustments, too. I didn't mind (Flax) making that shot; it was the only one she made. It was our breakdown on their other kids. We had certain assignments we didn't do today that we did in the first game."

In the first game in Warrensburg, the Lady Lions beat the Jennies 65-64. The Jennies, ranked 12th in the country and co-leaders in the conference, were ranked eighth in the first meeting. Francis said the Lady Lions had their full attention Saturday.

"They're playing for not only a seed in the conference, they're playing for a seed in the national tournament," Francis said. "They have aspirations to win a national championship and did what great teams do this time of year and we didn't respond. We've got to learn from this."

With three games left in the regular season, the Lady Lions are still fighting for a seed in the MIAA Tournament which begins March 3. They fell to 12-11 overall and 7-9 in the conference, good for eighth place. The top 12 seeds earn a seed in the tournament.

After shooting 55 percent in their previous two games, the Lady Lions made 39.1 percent of their shots against the Jennies. The Lady Lions did have success from three-point range, making 11 of 22 shots, but the Jennies were also 50 percent from there at 12 of 24.

Freshman Kassidy Gengenbacher led the Lady Lions with 16 points, but was just 4 of 13 from the field. Junior Morgan Johnson was the other Lindenwood player to reach double figures in points with 13.

"We didn't shoot the ball with confidence," Francis said. "We shot the ball better at their place, and that doesn't make any sense to me. Here is what I do know: it's easier to sneak up on people than it is when they're ready for you. We didn't bring the mental focus and confidence we needed today."

The Lady Lions received a scare late in the game when senior guard Marissa Lehnig landed hard on her shoulder under the Jennies goal and had to be helped from the court. Lehnig had four points and four rebounds when she left. She's the team's third-leading scorer.

The Lady Lions travel to Maryville Wednesday to face Northwest Missouri at 5:30 p.m. They come home to wrap up the 2013-14 regular season against Lincoln Feb. 22 and Missouri Southern Feb. 27.