Game Notes
Live Stats - Missouri Western
Live Stats - Washburn
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Pitt State continues its streak of three consecutive games on the road with tough matchups against Missouri Western and No. 9 Washburn this week.
Scouting Missouri Western
Missouri Western has a similar overall record to the Gorillas at 12-6, but are 5-5 in MIAA play. The Griffons are currently seventh in the league standings. The team had a five-game win streak before losing three straight games to Emporia State (62-55), Central Missouri (74-71) and Lincoln (73-66). The team’s other two losses were to Fort Hays State and Truman.
The Griffons score 67.0 points per game, while holding opponents to 63.4. They outrebound opponents by almost three, 38.8 to 35.9. The team shoots .390 overall, but allows opponents to shoot .420. The Griffons hit .319 from three-point range and .627 from the charity stripe.
Missouri Western spreads out its scoring. Seven different players score 5.0 ppg or better, but only one scores in double figures. Heather Howard leads the team with 13.9 points and 10.1 rebounds per game. She leads the team in blocks with 34 and is the second-leading threepoint shotter with 32 threes made this season. She is one of only two players that have played and started in all 18 games this season. Lanicia Lawrence is the second leading scorer with 9.1 ppg. She is one of three players with 30 or more steals on the season. She leads the team in assists with 54. JaQuitta Dever adds 8.9 ppg. She and Alicia Bell (7.8 ppg) share the team lead in steals with 31 a piece. Sharniece Lewis scores 7.2 ppg and leads the team in three-point shooting with 37 threes made on the season and a .398 three-point shooting percentage.
Scouting Washburn
Washburn moved up to tied for ninth in the latest WBCA Top 25 after wins at Lincoln and Lindenwood last week. The Lady Blues held Lincoln to 44 points and Lindenwood to 46. Washburn has a 13-3 overall record and a 7-1 record in league play. The team’s lone conference loss was to Northeastern State in a low scoring, 52-43 affair. The two non-conference losses came at the hands of Western Washington and Wisconsin-Parkside in a tournament in Las Vegas. The Lady Blues currently lead the league standings.
Washburn outscores its opponents by nearly 14 points per game, 66.2 to 52.5. The team also has the MIAA’s best rebounding margin, outrebounding opponents by 10.7 rpg (42.7 to 32.0). The team shoots .433 from the floor, while holding opponents to a .335 shooting percentage. They also shoot .321 from long range.
Laura Kinderknecht leads Washburn with 15.7 ppg. She shoots at a .403 clip overall and a .395 percentage from three-point range. She is the primary three-point shooter with 47 made threes on the season and is second in the league in threes made on the season. Tiara George also scores in double figures for the Lady Blues and is the team’s leading rebounder with 11.3 ppg and 6.6 rpg. She also leads the team in blocked shots. Dana Elliot leads the team w ith 58 assists on the season and has only 33 turnovers, for a 1.8 assist/turnover ratio, which ranks her third in the MIAA. Stormye Everett leads the team in steals with 30 for the year.
Scouting Pittsburg State
Pitt State is 12-5 overall and 6-3 in MIAA play. The team dropped out of the WBCA Top 25 Poll for the first time this season after a 65-50 loss at Northeastern State last week. The Gorillas are fifth in the MIAA standings behind Washburn, Truman, Northeastern State and Central Missouri. Two of Pitt State’s three conference losses are to two of those teams (NSU and UCM) and the Gorillas will face the Lady Blues this week and Truman next week. Pitt State’s other conference loss was to Central Oklahoma in the conference opener
Pitt State is hitting 43.5 percent of its shots from the floor, while holding opponents to a 35.9 percent shooting percentage. The team’s shotting percentage is third in the MIAA. The team is outscoring opponents by 11.2 points per game, 69.7 to 58.5. The Gorillas are also tough on the glass, outrebounding their foes 40.4 to 35.3. Pitt State shoots .316 from three point range and .723 from the charity stripe.
Pitt State has only one player scoring in double figures, as Lizzy Jeronimus scores nearly 20 points per game at 19.0 ppg. Her scoring average leads the MIAA and is 17th in the nation. Jeronimus also leads Pitt State in assists with 41 and is the second-leading rebounder with 6.4 rpg. Morgan Westhoff comes off the bench to score 9.3 ppg as the Gorillas’ second leading scorer. Westhoff is the team’s top three-point shooter, as she has made 32 of 73 threes on the year for a .438 shooting percentage from long range, which is the second-best three-point shooting percentage in the MIAA. Lauren Brown leads the team in rebounds with 8.5 rpg after setting the school record with 22 rebounds against Northwest Missouri. Brown also leads the team in blocked shots with 32. Freshman Kylie Gafford is just behind her with 23 blocks on the year. Drew Roberts is the team’s third-leading scorer with 7.2 points per game.
PSU vs. Missouri Western
Pitt State and Missouri Western have met almost regularly twice a year since the 1976-77 season. Missouri Western leads the overall series 48-21, including a 18-15 record in Pittsburg, a 27-6 mark in St. Joseph and a 3-0 record a neutral sites. The Gorillas won both meetings last season
The longest run of wins between the two teams was a seven-win streak by the Griffons from March 3, 2005 to Jan. 23, 2008. Pitt State broke the streak by winning a 73-65 decision on Feb. 13, 2008. Pitt State’s longest streak of wins was four from that win on Feb. 13, 2008 to Dec. 12, 2009. The Griffons broke the streak when they won the game in St. Joseph on Jan. 23, 2009.
The largest margin of victory in the series was a 29-point win (94-65) by the Griffons on Feb. 23, 1985 in St. Joseph. Pitt State’s biggest win was last season’s first meetin, an 82-57 victory in Pittsburg on November 30. The most points scored by a team in the series was 101 by the Gorillas in a 101-82 win on Jan. 24, 1996 in Pittsburg.
PSU vs. Washburn
Washburn has a decisive 47-25 lead in the all-time series against the Gorillas. Pitt State broke a 16-game losing streak to the Lady Blues with a 94-87 win on Jan. 21, 2009. The Gorillas added another win in the 2009-10, with a 58-57 overtime win in Pittsburg on Jan. 13. Washburn swept the series last season and has won five consecutive games over the Gorillas.
Prior to the 2009 win Pitt State had not won a game against Washburn since a 69-57 win on Feb. 10, 2001 in Topeka.
Washburn leads the series 21-14 in Pittsburg, 24-11 in Topeka and 2-0 at neutral sites. The longest streak of wins in the series is Washburn’s 16-game streak from Feb. 23, 2002 to Jan. 14, 2009. Pitt State longest win streak was eight games from Jan. 8, 1997 to Jan. 15, 2000.
The biggest margin of victory in the series was 65 points in a Washburn 101-36 win in the very first meeting on Jan .18, 1975. Pitt State’s biggest win was 20 points on Jan. 28, 1978 in a 72-52 victory in Topeka.
Up Next
Pitt State will face its second consecutive ranked team and begin a three-game home stand next week as No. 22 Truman comes to John Lance Arena on Thursday, February 7 and Southwest Baptist makes the journey to Pittsburg on Saturday, Feb. 9. The regular season is nearing the end as there are only seven regular season games left on the schedule after this week. Five of those seven games will be played at home.
Pitt State in the MIAA
The Gorillas are fifth overall in the MIAA standings, but the team and individuals also rank highly in several statistical categories.
Categories in which the team is ranked in the top five include: scoring offense (4th - 69.7 ppg), scoring margin (4th - +11.2 ppg), free throw percentage (3rd - .723), field goal percentage (3rd - .435), opponent field goal percentage (4th - .358), opponent 3-point fg pct. (3rd - .286), rebounds per game (3rd - 40.4), rebounding margin (4th - +5.0), blocked shots (4th - 4.5 bpg), defensive rebounds (3rd - 28.2 rpg).
Lizzy Jeronimus leads the league in points per game (19.0), is 12th in rebounding (6.4 rpg), 10th in field goal percentage (.509), eighth in free throw percentage (.829) and seventh in defensive rebounds (4.9 drpg). Lauren Brown is fifth in rebounding (8.5 rpg) and blocked shots (1.9 bpg), fourth in offensive rebound (3.1 orpg) and fifth in defensive rebounds (5.4 drpg). Morgan Westhoff is second in 3-point field goal percentage (.438) and 10th in threes made per game (1.9 3pg). Kylie Gafford is ninth in blocks (1.4 bpg)
