Complete Game Notes Game Day Information What: at Northwest Missouri When: Thursday, December 5 • 5:30 p.m. Where: Bearcat Arena • Maryville, Mo. Live Stats: Live Radio: KKOW AM 860/kkow.com Live Video Head Coaches Pittsburg State (5-3, 0-0 MIAA): Lane Lord (Tabor '93) Record at PSU/Overall: 109-71 (seventh season)/same Northwest Missouri (2-4, 0-0 MIAA): Michael Smith (Central Methodist '96) Record at NWMSU/Overall: 2-4 (First season)/70-72 (Sixth season) Last Time Out Pittsburg State: at Quincy • L, 59-80 Northwest Missouri: vs. College of Saint Mary • W, 70-57  What's Next? Pittsburg State: December 18 vs. Truman • 6:30 p.m. Northwest Missouri: December 18 vs. Saint Mary • 6 p.m.

Pittsburg State will play one more game before the team breaks for fall semester finals. The Gorillas open MIAA conference play on Thursday, December 5 at Northwest Missouri at 5:30 p.m.  

Scouting Northwest Missouri

Northwest Missouri is in its first season under head coach Micahel Smith, who is very familiar with the MIAA after spending five season at the helm of the program at Truman. The team is 2-4 thus far, with losses to Quincy (47-68), Truman (71-91), William Jewell (82-84) and the Gorillas (51-44) in an earlier non-conference game in PIttsburg.

The team has averaged 67.0 points per game, while allowing opponents 67.7 ppg. The team hits .449 from the floor overall and .360 from three point range. The team has made 32 threes in 89 attempts thus far this season. The Bearcats and their opponents each pull down 34.8 rebounds per game. The team has struggled with turnovers with just over 20 per game. 

Ariel Easton is the team's leading scorer with 17.8 ppg. Ashleigh Nelson adds 13.8 ppg. Annie Matthews, 7.3 rpg, and Shelby Mustain, 6.7 rpg, are the team's top rebounders. Easton is the team's top three-point shooter, having made 14 this season. 

Scouting Pittsburg State

Pittsburg State is 5-3 on the season and had won each of its last four games before a road loss to a very talented Quincy team right before Thanksgiving. All three of the team's losses have been to teams either ranked or receiving votes in the WBCA Coaches Poll.

The Gorillas average 70.0 ppg, while allowing opponents only 66.8 ppg. The team outrebounds its opponents by two rebounds per game, 38.8 rpg to 36.1 rpg. The Gorilla numbers were greatly affected by the height of the Quincy team last week. The Gorillas shoot .409 from the floor overall and .311 from three-point range. 

Lizzy Jeronimus leads the Gorillas with 18.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. Morgan Westhoff is the team's second leading scorer with 10.8 ppg. She has started in three games, but the majority of her points have come in games where she came off the bench. She is the team's top three-point shooter with 22 threes made in 44 attempts in the first eight games. Alexa Bordewick averages 7.6 ppg and leads the team in assists with 18. She has taken care of the ball well this season, with a 2.3 assist to turnover ratio. Kylie Gafford leads the team with 13 blocked shots. Antqunita Reed and Y'Cedria Devers share the lead in steals with six a piece. 

PSU vs. Northwest Missouri

Pitt State leads the series with Northwest Missouri 28-20. Each team leads on its home court, with Pitt State leading 17-5 in Pittsburg and the Bearcats lead 12-10 in Maryville. Northwest leads on neutral sites, 3-1.

Pitt State has won each of the last four meetings between the two teams by an average of 20 points. Pitt State's 88-48 win in Pittsburg on Feb. 4, 2012 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. The last outing between the two teams was the lowest scoring affair in series history, with Pitt State winning, 51-44, a total of only 96 points. 51 points in the lowest winning score in series history, while 44 points ties for the lowest losing score.

Up Next

The Gorillas will have almost two weeks to concentrate on the end of the semester before playing their next game. Pitt State will take on former MIAA foe Truman State at 6:30 p.m. on December 18 in John Lance Arena. This will be a doubleheader with the Gorilla men's team, but the men's team will play a non-conference game against West Texas A&M prior to the women's game at 4:30 p.m.