Box Score Kearney, Neb. – Guards McKenzie Brown and Alexa Hogberg combined to score 30 points and senior guard Laramey Becker was close to a double double to help Nebraska-Kearney defeat Central Missouri, 78-61, Saturday afternoon on the Buckle Court at the Health & Sports Center.
 
The Lopers (12-10, 8-8) are now in a seventh-place tie with Washburn in the league standings. At the end of the year, teams five through eight in the standings host a first round MIAA Tournament game on Monday, February 29th.
 
Leading nearly the entire way, UNK was ahead 62-41 with 1:51 left in the third quarter. Back in December, the Jennies (8-13, 7-9) rallied from a double digit deficit to edge the Lopers, 64-62.
 
UCM closed the quarter on a 6-0 run and then tallied the first six points of the fourth. It was still a nine point game when junior reserve forward Kelsey Fitzgerald (Yankton, S.D.) scored off a pass from Brown (G.I. Northwest).
 
That made it 68-57 and UNK scored 10 of the final 14 points to win going away.
 
"The start of the third quarter was okay and then, in the last four or five minutes, they started to attack the basket," said UNK head coach Carrie Hofstetter. "When you're up like that, you tend to play it safe while they play a bit reckless. They were putting their head down, trying to get to the rim, draw fouls and stop the clock."
 
Hogberg (Chandler, Ariz.) had the very hot hand early, scoring UNK's first 10 points. The Lopers led 17-15 after the first 10 minutes and then erupted for 27 point s in the second quarter. UCM, meanwhile, was held to nine in the second.
 
"Defensively I thought we were really good in the second quarter. Offensively, when we move the ball and we screen bodies and force the defense to rotate and cover up, we can definitely score some points," said Hofstetter.
 
Reaching double digits for the third time in the last four games, Hogberg was 6 of 11 from the field (3 of 5 threes) to tally 15. She also had six assists to two turnovers in 31 minutes from her point guard spot.
 
Brown also sunk three triples to score 15 while adding five defensive caroms, three assists and two steals. Next, Becker had nine points, nine rebounds (three offensive) and three assists.
 
Finally, the Loper bench tallied 27 points with Fitzgerald and Holdrege freshman guard Jenna Gillespie scoring eight apiece. As a team, UNK shot over 50% (52.6) for the third time this season.
 
Former UNL volleyball player Shelby Winkelmann paced UCM with 22 points, five boards, three assists and three steals.
 
The Lopers are at Missouri Southern State Thursday night.