Kearney, Neb. – The first game of the second semester for the Nebraska-Kearney women's basketball team will be one of the toughest of the 2013-14 season.

The Lopers (5-5, 2-2) face the 8th-ranked Central Missouri Jennies (9-1, 3-0) Saturday afternoon in Warrensburg. Tip time is 1:30 p.m.
On Monday night, UNK heads up the pike to face Missouri Western State (4-5, 0-3) at 5:30 p.m.

The games can be heard on KGFW AM 1340 and be seen (for purchase) on America One. Live stat links are available on the UNK schedule page as well.

UCM, coming off a pair of double digit wins at Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State, is led by 5-11 senior wing Keuna Flax. She is averaging 20.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 1.9 assists and 1.9 steals per game while shooting 71% at the line and 64% from the field.

Flax leads the MIAA in field goal shooting, is second in scoring and sixth in steals.

As a team, Central ranks third in the league in scoring (78.4 points per game) thanks to the conference's second best field goal percentage (46.2%). The Jennies also are tops in the MIAA in 3-point percentage (34.8%) and have a solid plus 8.6 rebounding margin.

Besides Flax, 5-7 senior guard BreAnna Lewis (13.6) and 5-9 sophomore guard Shelby Winkelmann (11.7) are double figure scorers with 6-3 junior post Revonnia Howard at a team-best 8.3 boards per game.

Last year in Kearney, UCM claimed a 68-63 win over the Lopers as Flax went for 21 points, eight boards, three assists and a steal. UNK had a plus 14 rebounding margin but was done in by 20 turnovers.

Western got off to a 4-0 start but has dropped five in a row. During the losing streak, they are averaging just 58.0 points per game.

The team's leading scorer on the year, 5-8 junior guard Ariana Novak (10.7) has missed the past three games, as has Denise White (6.2 ppg). She is no longer listed on the roster.

Holding its opponents to 60.1 points per game, the Griffons have a plus four rebounding margin led by 6-1 junior post Tiara Hall (6.8) and 6-2 junior post Quenisha Lockett (6.1).

Shooting 39% from the field, 5-10 senior forward Sharniece Lewis has sunk a team-best 20 threes to be at 10.2 points per game.

Last season, Western beat the Lopers by scores of 71-50 (Kearney) and 71-36 (St. Joe). Lewis hit four triples in the game played at Western.

After missing the past four games, Beatrice senior wing Shelby Zimmerman (14.5 points & 8.8 rebounds pg) is slated to return to the Loper lineup.

Shooting 50.7% from the field, Zimmerman had back-to-back double doubles in November and scored at least 10 points in each of the first four games.

UNK managed to beat both Lincoln, 71-50, and Lindenwood, 78-71, without Zimmerman in the lineup. Looking for its second road win over the year, the Lopers are averaging 72.1 points per game and now have a plus 3.3 rebounding margin.

Kearney has just one game next week, a home tilt with NW Missouri State on Thursday night.