UNK Tries to Make History

3/15/2021 8:57:00 AM

Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney women's basketball team, winners of 49 of its last 58 games, will try and make history when it faces Central Missouri in the Central Regional final Monday night.

Ninth-ranked and second-seeded UNK (23-3) has never made the NCAA Elite 8; the 1998 and 2007 squads reached the regional finals, only to lose to North Dakota on both occasions in Grand Forks. The 1987 team was the lone KSC squad to make it to the NAIA National Tournament in Kansas City, falling to top-seed and eventual national runner up Southwestern Oklahoma State in overtime. UNK WBB

Monday's game tips at 6 p.m. and will be carried live on The River KRVN 93.1 FM with a free video live stream provided by UCM and the NCAA.

The Lopers have already won in Warrensburg this year but the Jennies (21-4) are 47-6 in the Multipurpose Building over the last four seasons and lead the all-time series with UNK by a 9-2 margin. Fourth-seeded UCM won the 2018 national title and reached tonight's game with wins over St. Cloud State, 66-52, and top-seed Fort Hays State, 72-68. The Jennies lost its MIAA Tournament opener at home to Washburn, 63-55, back on March 3rd.

The Jennies features the 2021 MIAA Defensive Player of the Year in Morgan VanHyfte, first-team all-league pick Nija Collier, second-team selection Olivia Nelson and third-teamer Graycen Holden. VanHyfte and Collier are both six-foot seniors with Holden (6-2) and Nelson (5-7) being true freshmen.

Both Collier and Holden had double doubles in UCM's 70-66 win over UNK in mid-February. The Jennies scored 44 second half points and were plus six on the glass to erase a seven-point first half deficit. UNK got a double double from South Dakota junior Klaire Kirsch with junior reserve Elisa Backes going for 18 points.

Backes was one of three Lopers to be in double figures in the win in Warrensburg on January 9. UNK led 33-27 at the break and then outscored the Jennies 16-9 in the third. The Lopers shot 50 percent (25 of 50) in the win with UCM getting 13 points from Holden and 10 from VanHyfte.

The Elite 8 is now seeded so the Central Region winner will have to wait a day or two to see who'll they'll play in Ohio.

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