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TOPEKA, Kan. -- Ebonie Williams scored a career-high 34 points and No. 9 Washburn erased a double-digit deficit in the final minute but lost 69-68 Wednesday night to Central Missouri in Lee Arena.

The Lady Blues had their 11-game winning streak snapped and fell to 20-4 overall and 13-2 in the MIAA. They remain second in the conference standings. Central Missouri improved to 17-5 and 11-5 in the MIAA.

Williams put Washburn ahead 68-67 with a 3-pointer with 28 seconds left to give her 34 points, surpassing the 31 she scored during her three-year career at Seton Hall. That gave Washburn its first lead since the 16:34 mark of the first half but Central Missouri's Nicole Caddell hit a lay-up with 4.8 seconds remaining to give the Jennies a one-point lead. Stevi Schultz missed a 3 at the buzzer to give the Lady Blues their second loss in MIAA play and at home this year.

Williams went 12 of 17 from the field and 7 of 9 from 3-point range. Both those field goal totals were season highs in the senior's only year at Washburn. Her 34 points is the seventh most in school history. She added five assists.

Cassie Lombardino scored 13 points off 6 of 12 shooting. Casyn Buchman and Tiara George each scored six points, next best for Washburn. Sierra Moeller led the squad with seven rebounds.

Washburn led twice early in the first half but the Jennies used an 8-0 run to take a 23-10 lead at the 12:01 mark. They led by double digits for most of the remainder of the first half. The Jennies shot 9 of 15 from 3-point range in the first half and Washburn was 6 of 9.

Washburn trimmed the lead to single digits early in the second half and after UCM went up by 11, 64-53 at the 6:36 mark, Washburn used a 9-0 run to get within two with 3:09 remaining. Williams and Lombardino scored the only points during that stretch.

A jumper by Lombardino with 1:45 remaining cut UCM's lead to 65-64 but Shaquanda Wiggins answered with a basket 20 seconds later. Williams made one of two free throws with 1:14 left and then got a defensive rebound on UCM's next possession. Twenty seconds later she hit her 3-pointer that gave Washburn its first lead since the first half but Central answered with the heartbreaker in the final seconds.

Washburn out-scored the Jennies 36-25 in the second half but came up one point short after UCM had a 44-32 halftime advantage. The Lady Blues shot 52 percent from the field and 46 percent from 3-point range in the second half while UCM was 40 percent from the field. The Jennies shot just three 3-pointers in the second half and missed them all.

Washburn's bench scored just two points, a basket from Buchman, and shot the ball just three times in the second half.

Washburn entered the game first in the league and fourth in the nation in field goal percentage and shot 49 percent overall. The Jennies, second in the league in shooting, shot 45 percent. They are the only team to shoot better than 40 percent against Washburn this year and they've done it twice now. The Lady Blues lead the nation in 3-point percentage and they shot a solid 55 percent while UCM ended at 50 percent.

UCM held a 33-29 advantage on rebounds and committed 10 turnovers while Washburn had 12. The Lady Blues blocked five shots while the Jennies had three. Laura Kinderknecht led Washburn with six assists, tying her career high.

Caddell led the Jennies with 21 points off the bench. She was 9 of 17 from the field. Taylor Hanson had 16 points and Wiggins added 11.


Notes: Washburn fell to 36-14 all-time against Central Missouri and lost at home to UCM for the first time since 2008-09…that was also the last loss overall to UCM in the series after winning eight straight…Ebonie Williams set a career high with 34 points…she scored 31 at Seton Hall in 2008-09 against St. John's…her previous Washburn high was 23 on January 3 at Southwest Baptist…the 34 points ties for the seventh highest total in Washburn history…UCM shot 47 percent against Washburn on December 31 and 45 percent Wednesday, marking the only two times a team shot at least 40 percent against the Lady Blues this year.