The Lindenwood women's basketball team fell 79-59 to Central Missouri on Saturday afternoon in Hyland Arena.
 
Lindenwood was outscored 26-5 in the opening quarter, but was one point better than the Jennies in the final three quarters combined.  Jerricah Butler led the team with 15 points and shot 10-of-12 from the free-throw line.  CeCe Rapp scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds while Lindsay Medlen dropped six points with seven rebounds.  The Lady Lions turned the ball over 26 times, but outrebounded the Jennies 33-24 in the game.
 
Central Missouri jumped out on the board first and took a 6-0 lead within the first minute with the help of three Lindenwood fouls.  Gabby Walker gave Lindenwood its first points of the game after grabbing two offensive boards and scoring on a layup.  The Lady Lions turned the ball over seven times in the first four minutes of the game, allowing the Jennies to build a 12-2 lead.  Central Missouri controlled the game in the first quarter and held a 26-5 lead while shooting 69 percent from the field.  Lindenwood turned the ball over 12 times in the first 10 minutes which allowed the Jennies to score 16 points in transition.
 
The Lady Lions picked up their offensive production in the second quarter, but could not slow down the Jennies from scoring at will.  Alex Haley scored five points to help close the gap as Central Missouri held a 40-17 lead with two minutes remaining in the half.  Lindenwood was able to score three more points to make it a 40-20 game at the half after committing 19 turnovers while Central Missouri shot 56 percent from the field and made four three-pointers. 
 
The Lady Lions played much better to open the second half with the help of scrappy play by Bre Zanders on the defensive end.  Lindenwood made it a 48-31 ballgame after Megan Foster hit a three-pointer and Butler knocked down a long jumper.  Medlen hit a big three-pointer to pull Lindenwood within 16 points and CeCe Rapp closed the gap even more with an offensive rebound and the put back with 3:45 to go in the third quarter.  Butler joined in on the three-point shooting to help pull Lindenwood within a 55-41 margin.  Both teams traded buckets for the remainder of the quarter as the Jennies held a 61-47 lead heading into the final frame.
 
Central Missouri built its lead back up to 20 points halfway through the final quarter.  Lindenwood struggled to string together points combined with defensive stops, and the Lady Lions fell 79-59.  The Lady Lions shot 40 percent from the field and 76 percent from the charity stripe while compiling 26 points in the paint.  Central Missouri was 9-of-20 from three-point range and shot 46 percent from the field.
 
Lindenwood falls to 7-10 on the year and 3-7 in the MIAA while Central Missouri improves to 15-2 on the season and 8-1 in conference play.  The Lady Lions travel to Kearney, Neb. on Thursday to take on Nebraska-Kearney at 5:30 p.m.