Drury's Lady Panthers, who remained at No. 16 in this week's USA TODAY/WBCA Top 25 national poll, will close out their non-conference schedule by playing host to Central Methodist Thursday morning on Hiland Dairy Kids Day at the O'Reilly Family Event Center.

Approximately 1,400 students from 13 area school districts will be in attendance for the 11:30 a.m. tipoff at The O' between the Lady Panthers (6-2) and Central Methodist's Eagles (6-4). Coach Molly Miller's Lady Panthers are coming off a thrilling 73-70 victory at defending MIAA champion Central Missouri on Monday night.

Drury remained 16th in this week's Top 25 national poll despite its only two losses coming at the hands of No. 6 Pittsburg State (81-75) and No. 8 Washburn (87-78 in overtime in Topeka, Kan.). The Lady Panthers finished their non-conference slate against the MIAA - which has three teams in the national Top 10, headed by No. 1 Emporia State - with a 3-2 mark, with victories over Central Missouri, Northeastern State and Southwest Baptist.

Central Methodist, an NAIA member from Fayette, Mo., has dropped four straight after a 6-0 start to the season. The Eagles fell 64-59 at Benedictine on Saturday in Heart of America Athletic Conference play.

Morgan Vetter, a 5-7 sophomore, averages 17.5 points to lead five Central Methodist players scoring in double-figures while Taylor Cornelison, a 6-0 junior from Seymour, Mo., who played at Fordland HS, adds 12.2 points and a team-high 10.0 rebounds for the Eagles of fourth-year head coach James Arnold.

Junior guard Annie Armstrong averages 16.1 points to pace three Lady Panthers scoring in double-figures. Senior post Sanayika Shields adds 12.3 points and a team-high 9.5 rebounds, while sophomore guard Paige Wilson adds 10.0 points per game. Shields scored a career-high 24 points, including 22 in the second half, to lead Drury's comeback on Monday at UCM, where the Lady Panthers trailed by 11 points with under 12 minutes remaining.

Thursday's game can be heard on JOCK 98.7 FM, streamed live at www.jock987.com.

Kids 12-and-under are admitted free to all Drury Basketball regular season home games this season. For ticket information, please call the box office at (417) 873-6389.

Game #9: Lady Panthers vs. Central Methodist
Where: O'Reilly Family Event Center
Tipoff: 11:30 a.m. for Hiland Dairy Kids Day
Records: Drury 6-2 (ranked 16th nationally), Central Methodist 6-4
Radio: JOCK 98.7 FM (www.jock987.com)
Tickets: Starting at $7.50 (kids 12-and-under-free) at www.drurytickets.com