Box Score Kearney, Neb. – Senior Vanessa Leeper Jones scored a career-high 30 points and sophomore Shelby Zimmerman forced overtime with a last second three pointer as Nebraska-Kearney edged Colorado Mesa, 75-70 in OT, Friday night at the Health & Sports Center.

The contest, due to the winter storm, was moved up two hours.  A determination about tomorrow's Western State game will be made in the morning.

UNK (6-15, 6-10 RMAC) not only gives Mesa (8-12, 6-10 RMAC) a sixth straight loss but the Mavericks are now 0-12 all-time in Kearney.

In a game with 21 ties and 10 lead changes, CMU was ahead 63-61 with under a minute to go but Zimmerman (Tri-County H.S.) stole the ball from Tara Gehring. However, a potential game tying shot by Leeper Jones (Colo. Springs, Colo.) misfired and Gehring stepped two the line with eight seconds left.

A 75 percent shooter on the season, she made the first freebie but missed the second. After the Lopers grabbed the rebound, sophomore point guard Nicole Arp (Kearney) raced down the floor and found senior Lea Ann Jameson in the paint (Minden).

Hounded by defenders, she kicked the ball out to the left wing where a wide open Zimmerman stood. She nailed the three as the buzzer sounded; Zimmerman is now 4 of 8 from behind the arc on the season.

UNK then kept the momentum as senior guard Debi Johnson (Elsie) scored the first five points of overtime, the first three coming on her fourth triple of the game. Mesa didn't get closer than three points the rest of the way as the went 2 of 12 from the field in the extra session, including a 0 of 4 effort from the three point line.

Leeper Jones carried the load early on as she had 24 points by halftime. Finishing 9 of 18 from the field and 10 of 10 at the line, this marks only the 10th game of 30 points or more by a UNK women's basketball player the past 12 years.

Playing a team-high 41 minutes, Leeper Jones also had a team-high eight rebounds and two assists. 

Johnson (16) and Zimmerman (11) were the offensive stars after the break with Johnson and Arp each handing out six assists.

Mesa won the battle on the glass, 45-40, but committed 22 turnovers that led to 24 points for the Lopers. Four Mavs were in double digits, led by Kelsey Sigl who tallied 22 points on 9 of 24 shooting.