FAYETTE, Mo. - The Central Methodist women's basketball team is enjoying one of its most successful seasons in nearly a decade. A big reason for the success has been the addition of senior forward Karli Abbey, who scored her 1,000th career collegiate point in last Saturday's 57-52 victory at Baker

"As a player, I've never been tagged as a scorer," Abbey commented. "My job and responsibilities have always been to defend and rebound. My goal was to grab as many rebounds as I possibly could and score when possible. My scoring has always been a bonus."

The Seneca, Kan., native has averaged 6.11 points per game this season for the Eagles, which host Graceland on Thursday in the Heart of America Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal Round. She has totaled 165 points in 27 games, hit 39.6 percent of her shots from the floor and 76.4 percent of her free throw attempts. She leads Central Methodist in rebounding, averaging 7.74 per contest.

"Karli has been a glue kid for us," Head Coach James Arnold stated.

"Coming here and playing with Coach Arnold this past year has been great," Abbey exuded. "In prior years, we didn't have a lot of success, so knowing I had the opportunity to come here and be a part of something new and exciting meant a lot to me. Coach has always believed in me and my ability to do the little things that help the team. I wanted to be a part of something new and exciting and help Coach rebuild this program into something great. We started slow, but we've really grown as a team and are moving in the right direction."

In the victory over Baker to close out the regular season, Abbey finished with a game-high 12 rebounds. She scored only six points, but it was just enough to give her 1,000 exactly for her four-year collegiate career.

"I knew I was close to scoring 1,000 points, but it was never something I thought was possible," Abbey said.

Before coming to Fayette, Abbey enjoyed a decorated career at Highland Community College in Highland, Kan., where she played two years for Arnold before he came to Central Methodist to take the same position. Abbey finished her career with the Cougars as the third-ranked scorer in school history with 835 points. She was also ranked second in career rebounds with 593.

When asked for his thoughts on Abbey hitting the 1,000-point plateau, Arnold commented, "It's extremely well deserved. We haven't asked her to be the scoring threat here that she was for us at Highland, but like anything else, she has accepted her role with passion and has been extremely productive."

During her two seasons at Highland Community College, Abbey garnered All-Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC) second-team honors, as well as being named to the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) All-Region VI first team. She was selected as the KJCCC Player of the Week twice in her career, while also being recognized as the NJCAA National Player of the Week during her sophomore season.

"Having played for me for two years, we brought her in so that she could help teach many of our philiosphies, Do's and Don'ts, and just help the other ladies understand me a little bit," Arnold said. "Her contributions in the locker room have been just as important as her steady performance on the court. I have no doubt that much of our success this season is due to her helping the others with the transition of a new coach. Abbey was part of my first recruiting class at Highland when we were trying to turn that program around, and she has been a vital part for us doing the same thing here at CMU."

"I'm grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this program and am thankful for everyone who has contributed to me reaching this milestone," Abbey said.

Abbey hopes to add more points to her collegiate resume. If the Eagles continue to win games, then she will continue to have that opportunity.

For more information about Central Methodist University athletics, visit athletics.centralmethodist.edu. Follow CMU athletics on Facebook at www.facebook.com/cmathletics and on Twitter twitter.com/cmueagles.