LAS VEGAS – Senior forward Savanna Handevidt scored a career-high 20 points to lead the Minnesota State University Moorhead women's basketball team to a 63-58 win over Central Missouri in nonconference action Sunday in Las Vegas.

MSUM is now 2-0 on the year while Central Missouri, which was picked to finish third in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in a preseason coaches poll conducted by the league, fell to 0-2.

Handevidt was 7-of-8 from the field and also added seven rebounds for MSUM. Senior forward Heather Strese added a double-double with 16 points and a game-high 10 rebounds, while junior guard Morgan Banasik had 10 points and six rebounds. Junior guard Jessica Hart had four assists while junior guard Natalie Van Wyhe and Strese had three each. Banasik had three steals.

MSUM shot 37.3 percent (19-of-51) from the field compared to 39.3 percent (24-of-61) for Central Missouri. The Dragons had a 43-32 edge in rebounds and were 21-of-27 from the line, compared to just 4-of-8 for the Jennies.

The Dragons faced a 13-5 deficit with five minutes left in the first quarter but ended the quarter on a 14-2 run to take a 19-15 lead after the opening 10 minutes. Freshman guard Jacky Volkert sparked the run with five points while Handevidt had four.

Handevidt buried a pair of foul shots with 1:19 left in the half to give MSUM its largest lead at 33-24. The Dragons led 33-26 at halftime, thanks to 13 points from Handevidt and nine from Strese.

MSUM's lead shrunk to 40-39 with three minutes left in the third quarter but ended the frame on a 9-1 run to take a 49-40 lead. A Handevidt three sparked that run.

Central Missouri battled back in the fourth quarter to take a 56-55 lead with 2:50 left but a Van Wyhe layup helped the Dragons regain the lead at 57-56 with 1:33 left. They never relinquished the lead as MSUM went 6-of-6 from the free-throw line in the final minute.

The Dragons make their home regular-season debut on Thursday against Mayville State. The game begins at 6 p.m. at Nemzek Fieldhouse.