CANYON, Texas — The Drury Lady Panthers completed a three-game sweep of the D2CCA Tipoff Classic with their third win in three days as they held off Central Missouri 84-81 on Sunday in Canyon, Texas.
The win gives Drury a 3-0 start to their season while Central Missouri, a team that advanced to the national semifinals last year, to 1-2.
The Lady Panthers jumped out to a 23-9 lead at the end of the first quarter and led by as much as 17 in the second half, but the Jennies chipped away in the fourth quarter, outscoring Drury 33-21 in the final period. Paige Robinson scored 12 of her game-high 29 points in the fourth to help preserve the lead.
“One of the reasons why Paige is the national Player of the Year is that she thrives in those moments, and she wants to be in those moments when the game is on the line,” said Drury head coach Amy Eagan. “No matter what the situation is in games like this, she takes shots, but she’s also such a great facilitator and is so smart with her teammates in getting them to calm down and handle the pressure.”
Robinson’s 29 points came on 9 of 20 shooting from the field, 4 for 8 from three-point range, and a perfect 7 for 7 from the free-throw line. The senior from Bethany, Illinois, had games of 30, 29, and 20 in the three-game event.
Alana Findley matched a career-high with 17 points and had nine rebounds.
Olivia Nelson led Central Missouri with 21 points.
The Lady Panthers shot 43 percent going 27 for 63, and they connected on 8 of their 14 three-point attempts. The Jennies were 19 for 46 from the floor, 41 percent, and they made 35 free-throws on 42 tries.
Central Missouri was ranked fourth in NCAA-II in last year’s final national poll, while Drury was ranked number two. The first NCAA-II coaches’ poll of 2021-22 will be announced on Monday.
The Lady Panthers return on action on Nov. 12 when they play Trevecca Nazarene on the first day of the Pops Duncan Tipoff Classic in Nashville, Tennessee.
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