The Lindenwood women's basketball team fell 82-64 to Central Missouri on Wednesday night in Warrensburg, Mo.
 
The Lady Lions jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead in the first minute of play after Jenny Rocha and Charisse Williams scored the first buckets of the game.  In her first start of the season, Beth Maenpaa scored four points and grabbed one rebound in her first three minutes of on the court.  On her first shot of the night, Kassidy Gengenbacher nailed a three-pointer to move up on the Lindenwood career points list.  The Lady Lions offensive production slowed near the end of the first quarter allowing Central Missouri to take the lead 15-14.  Maenpaa scored her seventh point as time was winding down in the first quarter to put Lindenwood back in front 16-14 after the first frame.
 
In the first quarter, both teams made the same number of field goals and free throws, but the Gengenbacher three-pointer gave Lindenwood a slim lead.  The Lady Lions outrebounded the Jennies 8-6, but turned the ball over six times and allowed four fast-break points.
 
Central Missouri began the second quarter with five straight points.  The two teams traded buckets for the next few minutes and the Jennies held a 26-24 lead.  With 2:31 remaining in the half, Gengenbacher torched the net with a three-pointer to regain the lead for the Lady Lions.  Thirty seconds later, Gengenbacher extended the lead after making back-to-back free throws, but Central Missouri answered back.  Another 5-0 run by the Jennies resulted in a 31-29 deficit for Lindenwood.  Central Missouri added four more points to take a 35-29 lead at the half.
 
Gengenbacher had a strong first half with 12 points and five rebounds.  Maenpaa sparked the Lady Lions offense with nine points and she grabbed three boards in the first half.  Rocha had just two points and with two rebounds, but dished out five assists to help offensive production.  The Lady Lions handcuffed themselves by turning the ball over 14 times in the first half, but grabbed five more rebounds than the Jennies.
 
The Lady Lions scored first to start the third quarter, but the Jennies went on yet another run of six straight points to take a 41-31 lead.  Central Missouri held a 43-32 lead with 7:29 remaining in when Maenpaa scored in the paint to get the Lady Lions moving.  Bri Wilber came through with a big three-pointer to pull Lindenwood within eight.  The Jennies again scored in bunched, this time with an 8-2 run to take a 53-39 lead.
 
Central Missouri continued to extend its lead with a 9-2 run to take a 20-point advantage over the Lady Lions.  Lindenwood closed out the third quarter on a 5-1 run, but still found itself in a 62-46 hold heading into the final quarter of play.  Central Missouri drastically changed the rebounding numbers in the third quarter and worked the Lady Lions in the paint, which aided the Jennies offensive production.
 
Rocha made four-straight free throws to start the fourth quarter and pull Lindenwood within 12 points.  The Jennies scored just four points in the first 2:30 of the fourth quarter, while Gengenbacher took advantage with five quick points to make it a 66-56 ball game.  CeCe Rapp scored her first bucket of the game to pull within eight, but like most of the night, the Jennies scored two quick points in the paint.  Central Missouri pulled away in the fourth quarter to a 76-58 lead with just under four minutes to go.  The Jennies continued their scoring until the final buzzer, and the Lady Lions fell 82-64.
 
Lindenwood slowed down in the second half on the boards as it grabbed 31 rebounds, while the Jennies snagged 25 rebounds in the second half to end the night with 38 boards.  The Lady Lions did a better job of holding possession in the second half, but had 22 turnovers throughout the Wednesday night game.  Central Missouri owned the post play with 46 points in the paint including 10 second chance points.
 
Gengenbacher lead the team with 24 points with seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists.  Maenpaa finished her night with 11 points on a perfect 5-of-5 from the field, and she grabbed seven rebounds, and tallied two steals.  Rocha had a slow night shooting the ball, but she grabbed four rebounds and dished out a team-high six assists.
 
Head Coach Tony Francis feels his team continues to play hard each night, but the results have been frustrating for the Lady Lions.
 
"The war of attrition got us tonight," said Francis, "The ladies are giving a great effort and at times may be trying too hard to get the team out of our present slump."  Francis added, "I know they will come into practice tomorrow and give a great effort to improve."
 
The road loss sets Lindenwood back to 7-9 overall and 3-7 in the MIAA.  The Lady Lions will travel to Bolivar, Mo. to take on Southwest Baptist on Saturday at 1 p.m.