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Central Missouri closed both the first half and opened the second half on 9-2 runs and the margin proved to be too much for Northern State as the Wolves' comeback in the first round of the NCAA Central Region Tournament fell short Friday in Searcy, Ark., as NSU lost 82-69.

The No. 6 seed Wolves (24-7) trailed by as many as 20, 50-30 with 17:16 left to play in the game before going on a 17-2 run and cut the lead to 52-47 with 11:01 remaining. Five points was as close as the Wolves would get the rest of the way. Third-seeded Central Missouri (26-4) made 13 free throws the final 3:03 of the contest to salt away the game and end the Wolves' season.

Most of the first half was a close ballgame before the Jennies went on their run and led 41-28 going into the break. NSU shot 34.5 percent (10-for-29) in the first half while UCM shot 46.4 percent (13-for-28) in the opening half. The Wolves shot 45.7 percent from the floor (16-for-35) in the second while Central made 40.7 percent (11-for-27).

For the game, NSU shot 40.6 percent and UCM hit 43.6 percent from the field. Three-point shooting was key in the contest as the Jennies hit 9-of-19 (47.4 percent) from beyond the arc while Northern went 3-for-13 (23.1 percent) from deep. Central Missouri made 25-of-35 from the charity stripe while Northern went 14-of-20.

The Wolves outscored UCM in the paint 32-24 while the Jennies' bench held a 21-11 edge in scoring over the Wolves. Both teams took care of the ball relatively well as Northern committed nine turnovers and UCM had just five.

Rachel Krogman and Alison Kusler led the Wolves with 17 points each. Krogman recorded her 14^th double-double of the season as she also pulled-down a game-high 10 rebounds in the loss. Kusler finishes her career with a fine all-around game as she also added six boards and five assists for Northern. Kusler finishes her illustrious career with 1,289 points scored which is 15^th all-time in NSU history.

Sadie Stotesbery added 12 points and six rebounds in the loss while Paige Waytashek added five points and five assists for Northern. Megan Mutchler added seven points and eight rebounds. Kara Hofschild also had five points in the contest.

Northern's season came to an end with the loss while Central Missouri moves on to face Concordia-St. Paul in the regional semifinals Saturday.