Game Day Central
Live Stats (Both Games)
Radio: KKOW 860 AM • KKOW.com
Webcast - Nebraksa-Kearney Only
Live Television - CBS Sports Network -
DISH 158, DirectTV 613, COX Cable 260 (Pittsburg, Wichita), Cable One 332 (Joplin), Suddenlink 123 (Carthage), Time Warner Cable 322 (Kansas City) - check your local listings to confirm or the CBS Sports Network Channel Finder
Complete Game Notes
PITTSBURG, Kan. - The Gorillas open 2013 with two home conference games. The first game of the year will see PSU face MIAA newcomer Nebraska-Kearney in the Lopers first trip to John Lance Arena as part of the MIAA on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. Saturday the Gorillas will host the program’s first-ever nationally televised game, as the Bearcats of Northwest Missouri come to town for the Division II game of the week on the CBS Sports Network. Saturday’s game will tip off at 11:30 a.m., but there are a lot of activities prior to the game, so fans should plan to arrive early!
The Gold Rush is Coming
Saturday’s nationally televised matchup with Northwest Missouri has been dubbed the GOLD RUSH. All fans are encouraged to wear gold to the game, but the first 2,000 fans will be provided free GOLD RUSH T-shirts thanks to some generous local sponsors. In thanks for our fans helping Pitt State put its best foot forward on national television, there will be a FREE pancake feed from 10-11 a.m. in the Weede Dance Studio. At 10:30 a.m. Pitt State Athletics will honor Alan and Roberta Whetzel for their generous donations to the basketball program and will dedicate the new Whetzel Court in John Lance Arena.
Scouting Nebraska-Kearney
The Nebraska-Kearney Lopers are one of the new teams added to the MIAA this season. The team is 4-5 overall and 1-1 in MIAA play in its first year in the league. They are currently tied for fourth in the league standings with eight other teams with a 1-1 record.
The average 60.7 ppg, while allowing opponents 62.9. The Lopers do out rebound their opponents, 39.8 to 36.4. The team shoots .422 from the floor overall and .292 from three point range, while allowing opponents a .368 shooting percentage overall and .266 from long range. The team is not outstanding from the charity stripe, hitting only 63 percent of its free throws.
Shelby Zimmerman is the only Loper player averaging double figures with 11.9 ppg. She has hit 55.6 percent of her shots this season. Laramey Lewis is the team’s leading three-point shooter, having hit 12-of-27 (.444) threes on the year. She also leads the team with 21 steals. Melissa Norman is the team’s leading rebounder with 7.9 rebounds per game, just slightly more than her 7.6 ppg. She also leads the team in blocked shots with 17. Ivy Jones leads teh team in assists with 25.
Scouting Northwest Missouri
The Bearcats are tied for the league lead with a 2-0 MIAA record and an 8-2 record overall. The team’s two MIAA wins came over Nebraska-Kearney and Lindenwood. The two losses were to Colorado Christian and William Jewell.
The Bearcats outscore their opponents by nearly 20 points per game, 72.2 to 52.5, and outrebound opponents 35.9 to 33.8. They are shooting .452 as a team and .374 from three-point range.
Four different Northest players are averaging double figures. Meridee Scott leads the team with 11.7 ppg , while Ashleigh Nelson is just behind her with 11.4. Both players also have 20-plus steals on the season, as there are four Northwest players with 20 or more steals. Nelson is also one of three players with 20 or more assists on the year and leads the team with 23 threes. Maggie Marnin tallies 10.6 ppg and Annie Matthews rings in with 10.4 ppg. Matthews leads the team with 7.8 rebounds per game. Monique Stevens leads the team in assists with 41 and steals with 25.
Scouting Pittsburg State
Pitt State has gone 7-3 in its first 10 games. The team’s losses came at the hands of William Jewell, Central Oklahoma and Academy of Art. The Gorillas are one of nine teams in the MIAA with a 1-1 league record, as the Gorillas fell in their first conference meeting to Central Oklahoma and earned a win over Lindenwood.
Pitt State is hitting 44.2 percent of its shots from the floor, while holding opponents to a 36.8 percent shooting percentage. The team is outscoring opponents by 14.5 points per game, 74.5 to 60.0. The Gorillas are also tough on the glass, outrebounding their foes 40.9 to 34.9. Pitt State shoots .311 from three pointrange and .748 from the charity stripe.
Pitt State has only one player scoring in double figures, as Lizzy Jeronimus scores nearly 20 points per game at 19.9 ppg. Morgan Westhoff comes off the bench to score 9.2 ppg as the Gorillas’ second leading scorer. Jeronimus also leads Pitt State in assists with 28 and is the second-leading rebounder with 6.7 rpg. Westhoff is the team’s top three-point shooter, as she has made 18 of 38 threes on the year for a .474 shooting percentage from long range. Lauren Brown leads the team in rebounds with 7.3 rpg. She and freshman Kyllie Gafford are tied for the team lead in blocked shots with 14 a piece on the season. Hailey Roderique is the team’s leading scorer with 8.4 ppg and is the third leading rebounder with 5.0 rpg. She leads the team in steals with 15.
PSU vs. Nebraska-Kearney
Pitt State leads the series with Nebraska-Kearney 16-12. The two teams met twice a year every season from 1976-77 to 1988-89 as part of Central States Intercollegiate Conference play. The teams also met in two non-conference games in the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons. The last meeting was Dec. 30, 1994 in Kearney. The Gorillas won, 80-67.
The longest streak of wins in the series was six by Pittsburg State from Jan. 22, 1982 to Feb. 3, 1984. The longest streak of wins by the Lopers was five to start the series from Jan. 28, 1977 to Jan. 27, 1979.
The largest margin of victory in the series is 32 points by the Gorillas in a 81-49 win on January 22, 1982 in Pittsburg. The largest win by the Lopers was in the first game of the series on Jan. 28, 1977, a 69-39 UNK win in Kearney.
There has been one overtime game in the series, which Pitt State won 79-73 on Feb. 16, 1985. The most points scored in the series was 100 by the Gorillas on Feb. 19, 1989.
PSU vs. Northwest Missouri
Pitt State leads the series with Northwest Missouri 26-20. Each team leads on its home court, with Pitt State leading 15-5 in Pittsburg and the Bearcats lead 12-10 in Maryville. Northwest leads on neutral sites, 3-1.
After Northwest won all three meetings between the two teams during the 2010-11 season, Pitt State swept the two regular season meetings last year, winning the games by an average of 30 points. Pitt State’s 88-48 win in Pittsburg on Feb. 4 was the largest win of the series by either team..
The Gorillas have the longest streak of wins in the series, having won seven straight games from Jan. 10, 1993 to Feb. 17, 1996. The Bearcats longest streak of wins was four games from Nov. 19, 1988 to Jan. 11, 1992 and from March 4, 2010 to March 5, 2011.
The most points scored in the series were the 106 points by the Gorillas on Feb. 8, 2010.
