The Lindenwood women's basketball team fell 76-59 to Central Missouri on Wednesday night in Hyland Arena.
 
Lindenwood fell behind 11-2 to start the ballgame with the only bucket coming from CeCe Rapp in the paint.  Near the five-minute mark, the Lady Lions added another bucket, this time by Kassidy Gengenbacher to pull Lindenwood within seven points.  Central Missouri went on a 7-4 run to expand on its lead, but the Lady Lions fought back to pull within six after Charisse Williams knocked down two free throws.  The Jennies hit a three pointer near the end of the first quarter, but a jumper by Jenny Rocha with five seconds remaining cut the deficit to 22-15 at the end of the first frame.
 
Lindenwood took care of the ball in the first quarter with just four turnovers, but it was outrebounded 12-7.  The Jennies shot 4-of-6 from three-point range, while the Lady Lions were 0-for-2.  Rocha tallied five points and two steals in the first quarter, and Gengenbacher had four points with two rebounds.
 
Central Missouri opened the second quarter with a three-pointer, but the Lady Lions found a bit of rhythm after Bri Wilber drained a three-pointer, and a Williams three-pointer pulled Lindenwood within four points.  Wilber was feeling it as she hit another long ball to make it a one-point game, and the momentum was drastically in the favor of the Lady Lions.  Rocha tied the game after going 1-for-2 from the charity stripe, and the Lady Lions took the lead after a 12-0 run to start the second quarter.
 
The Jennies bounced back to go on a 10-0 run in a span of 2:42 nearing the end of the first half to take a 37-29 lead.  Lindenwood fought back starting with three points by Vanessa Zailo.  Gengenbacher scored on a layup, and Williams ended the first half with a three-point buzzer beater to tie the game at 37-37.  Williams had 10 points in the first half while shooting 2-for-2 from downtown, and Wilber was also 2-for-2 from three-point range, as she totaled eight points.  Zailo snagged 10 rebounds, and Rocha compiled three steals, with six points.
 
Central Missouri began the second half with two free throws, but again the Lady Lions went on a fast run that consisted of a Williams three-pointer, and a fast break layup by Zailo to give Lindenwood a 42-41 lead.  Both teams traded buckets for the next few minutes, but the Lady Lions held a slim 46-44 lead at the five-minute mark in the third quarter.  Lindenwood struggled to maintain offense in the final five minutes of the third quarter, and the Jennies held a 57-50 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of play.
 
To start the quarter, both team exchanged buckets, but then the Jennies stepped on the gas and began to control the game.  Central Missouri climbed up to a 65-54 lead with some help of the three-pointer.  Lindenwood pulled within eight points near the five-minute mark, but the Jennies added a free throw and a three-pointer to take a 69-57 lead with 3:36 left in the game.  The Lady Lions could not stop the Jennies offense, as Lindenwood fell 76-59.
 
Gengenbacher finished with 15 points and two assists, while Williams had 13 points and four rebounds.  Wilber dropped 12 points and grabbed three rebounds.  Zailo snagged 13 rebounds, and Rocha dished out three assists and had three steals.
 
The loss sets Lindenwood back to 7-20 on the year and 3-18 in the MIAA.  The Lady Lions will play their final regular season game against Lincoln on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Jefferson City, Mo.