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Game Day Central
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PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men’s basketball team embark upon its second three-game MIAA road swing Wednesday (Jan. 23) when the Gorillas travel to Tahlequah, Okla., to face Northeastern State University. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. (CST) at NSU’s Dobbins Field House.
The Records
Pitt State enters Wednesday’s action with a 12-4 overall record and a 5-3 mark in MIAA action. The Gorillas climbed into a tie for third place in the MIAA standings with a 72-69 home win over Fort Hays State University Saturday (Jan. 19). The win helped the Gorillas, who had dropped three of their previous four games, snap a two-game losing streak.
Northeastern State is 12-4 overall, 5-3 in the MIAA and tied with Pitt State for third place in the MIAA standings. The River Hawks posted an 85-78 home win over No. 10 Washburn University Saturday (Jan. 19). NSU has won two straight games, after dropping three in a row between Jan. 5-12.
The Coaches
Pittsburg State’s Kevin Muff is in his third season leading the Gorillas. Muff (Kansas State, ’86) became the Gorillas’ 14th all-time head coach on Apr. 5, 2010, after spending 12 seasons at Cloud County Community College, where he helped the Thunderbirds to an average of 21 wins in each of the last five seasons.
Muff has a 42-31 (.575) record in his short tenure with the Gorillas. He is 1-1 against the River Hawks.
Larry Gipson is in his 16th year as head coach at Northeastern State. Gipson (Heidelberg, ’74) has compiled a 257-183 (.584) career record leading the River Hawks. He is 4-5 vs. Pitt State.
Series History
Wednesday’s action will mark the63rd all-time meeting between the Gorillas and River Hawks in a series that dates back to the 1927 season.
Pitt State holds a 42-20 advantage in the series, including a slight 14-11 edge in games played at Tahlequah, Okla. The two schools split a pair of non-conference meetings during the 2011-12 season with NSU taking a 71-60 home win on Jan. 18 and Pitt State defeating the River Hawks 78-54 at John Lance Arena in the regular season finale on Feb. 25.
PSU On The Road
The Gorillas have compiled a 10-18 (.357) record in road games during the past two seasons. Pitt State is 2-2 on the road this season.
The Gorillas posted wins in each of their first two road games, but have since dropped their last two contests.
Scouting The Gorillas
Pitt State has three players averaging double figures on the season and three more players contributing more than eight points a game: freshman guard Kaleb Porter, senior forward JaVon McGee, senior guard Courtney Ingram, senior guard Marky Nolen, senior center Rico Pierrevilus and junior forward A.J. Adams.
Porter is averaging a team-leading 13.7 points per game, while McGee (12.3ppg) and Ingram (11.6 ppg) also are scoring in double figures. Nolen is contributing just under 10 points per game at 9.4 points per contest. Pierrevilus adds 8.9 points and Adams chips in with 8.7 points as well.
Porter, a Tulsa, Okla., native, set a new PSU freshman scoring record with 34 points in Pitt State’s win over MIAA rival Lincoln at the Chris Tucker Memorial Classic on Nov. 16. He had 16 points in the season opener vs. Baker on Nov. 13 and he finished his first week of collegiate competition with a 14-point effort in a win over Avila on Nov. 17 and earned MIAA Player of the Week honors for his effort on Nov. 19.
Porter ranks 19th in the MIAA in scoring, second in the conference in free throw percentage (.880, 66-for-75) and 10th in the league in 3-point field goals (1.9 pg).
McGee contributes 12.3 points and a team-leading 7.2 rebounds per game. The Kansas City, Mo., native has averaged 16.4 points and 6.9 rebounds per game in Pitt State’s last eight outings.
McGee, who ranks sixth in the MIAA in rebounding, 25th in the league in scoring and 15th in the conference in field goal percentage (.493, 73-for-148), became the 22nd player in school history to eclipse 1,000 career points last Saturday (Jan. 19) in the Gorillas win over Fort Hays State.
McGee scored 22 points in that contest and now has 1,016 points in 100 career games, ranking 20th in career scoring. He also has 669 career rebounds, ranking in a tie for fourth place (with Bernie O’Nelio, 1958-60) on that PSU career list.
Ingram has scored in double figures in 11 of the last 13 games for the Gorillas. The Tulsa, Okla., native recorded a double-double against Lincoln on Jan. 10, totaling 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
For the season, Ingram is shooting .458 (60-131) from the field and .688 (55-80) from the free throw line.
Nolen averages 9.4 points, 5.0 rebounds and a team-leading 2.3 steals per game. The Wichita, Kan., native ranks fourth in the MIAA in steals.
Senior center Rico Pierrevilus is averaging 8.9 points and 5.4 rebounds per game on the season. He posted a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds in a road loss against Missouri Southern on Jan. 16.
For the season, Pierrevilus is shooting .455 (45-99) from the field and .836 (46-for-55) from the free throw line. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native ranks ninth in the MIAA in free throw percentage.
Adams has averaged 8.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game to date. The Jeffersonville, Ind., native is shooting a team-leading .527 (49-for-93) from the field, ranking 11th in the league in field goal percentage.
Adams had a key tip-in as time expired that sent the William Jewell game to overtime on Nov. 28. He contributed 12 points and nine rebounds in that contest. He has recorded a pair of double-doubles on the season, most recently with 17 points and 11 rebounds vs. Central Oklahoma.
As a team, Pitt State is averaging 77.4 points per game, while limiting its opponents to 71.8 points. The Gorillas are shooting .435 from the field (403-926), but they are limiting their opposition to .416 shooting (399-958).
Pitt State has generated 29 percent of its offense from the free throw line thus far. The Gorillas have converted 358 of 500 free throws (.716), averaging 22.3 points per game from the charity stripe. Pitt State has outscored its opponents by an average of 6.8 points per game from the foul line thus far.
The Gorillas are third in the MIAA in scoring (77.4 ppg) and rank sixth in free throw percentage (.716). Pitt State also leads the conference in offensive rebounds (14.6 pg) and are currently second in rebounding margin (+6.7 rpg).
Scouting the River Hawks
Northeastern State has three players averaging in double figures on the season: junior guard Bryton Hobbs, senior forward Jermaine Bransford and senior guard Ethan Anderson.
Hobbs averages a team-leading 17.4 points per game, ranking fourth in the MIAA in scoring. He also has dished out a team-best 79 assists (4.9 apg) – good for fifth in the conference.
Hobbs was named the MIAA Player of the Week Monday (Jan. 21), after averaging 22 points per game in a pair of wins over Central Oklahoma and No. 10 Washburn. Among his 44 points scored in the two wins, Hobbs converted 27 of 30 free throws in the games. For the season, he’s made 81 of 98 charity shots (.827), ranking 10th in the MIAA in that category.
Bransford has averaged nearly a double-double each time out this season, contributing 15.1 points and 9.6 rebounds. Bransford is shooting .531 from the field (93-for-175) and he’s posted a team-leading 13 blocked shots. Bransford leads the MIAA in rebounding, ranks 11th in the league in scoring, ninth in the conference in field goal percentage and sixth in the MIAA in free throw percentage (.848, 56-for-66).
Anderson also chips in with 11.9 points per game. He’s shooting .492 (62-for-126) with a team-leading 35 3-pointers (35-for-77, .455). He ranks second in the MIAA in 3-point field goal percentange, behind teammate Jon Miller (.463, 19-for-41).
As a team, NSU averages 73.8 points per game while surrendering just 63.0 points per game. The River Hawks lead the MIAA in free throw percentage (.794, 262-for-330), 3-point field goal percentage (.421, 115-for-273), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.310, 93-for-300) and rank second in the conference in field goal percentage.
Probable Starters
Pitt State (12-4, 5-3 MIAA)
F 4 Denton Hays, 6-7, 208, Fr., Tulsa, Okla.
F 44 JaVon McGee, 6-6, 235, Sr., Grandview, Mo.
G 15 Marky Nolen, 6-4, 200, Sr., Wichita, Kan.
G 22 Sam Pugh, 6-0, 180, So., Branson, Mo.
G 23 Courtney Ingram, 6-3, 205, Sr., Tulsa, Okla.
Northeastern State (12-4, 5-3 MIAA)
F 10 Landon DeMasters, 6-4, 200, So., Van Alstyne, Texas
F 15 Marcus Sheppard, 6-4, 205, Jr., Vivian, La.
F 21 Jermaine Bransford, 6-7, 225, Sr., Sand Springs, Okla.
G 3 Bryton Hobbs, 6-0, 170, Jr., St. Louis, Mo.
G 20 Ethan Anderson, 6-3, 205, Sr., Cleburne, Texas
