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Game Day Central
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PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men’s basketball team wrap up a three-game homestand Saturday (Feb. 16) when the Gorillas play host to Northeastern State University at John Lance Arena. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. (CST).
The Records
Pitt State enters Saturday’s action with a 14-7 overall record and a 7-6 mark in MIAA action. The Gorillas have alternated wins and loses in their last seven contests. PSU fell at home to Southwest Baptist in the team’s most recent action, 81-75, last Saturday (Feb. 9).
The Gorillas currently sit alone in eighth place in the MIAA standings.
NSU is 17-6 overall and 10-5 in the MIAA heading into Saturday’s match-up with Pitt State. The River Hawks, who currently sit in fourth place in the MIAA standings, defeated Missouri Southern, 77-73, Wednesday (Feb. 13) at Tahlequah, Okla.
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 44-34 (.561) record in his short tenure with the Gorillas. He is 1-2 against the Riverhawks.
Larry Gipson is in his 16th year as head coach at Northeastern State. Gipson (Heidelberg, ’74) has compiled a 261-185 (.585) career record leading the River Hawks. He is 5-5 vs. Pitt State.
Series History
Saturday’s action will mark the 64th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and River Hawks in a series that dates back to the 1927 season.
Pitt State holds a 42-21 advantage in the series, including a 27-9 advantage in games played in Pittsburg. Northeastern State defeated Pitt State on Jan. 23, 64-62, at Tahlequah, Okla., in a back-and-forth game decided in the game’s final minute.
Gorillas at Home
Pitt State has posted a 369-178 (.675) all-time record at John Lance Arena since the facility opened in 1972. The Gorillas have compiled a 182-61 (.749) record at home during the last 18 seasons.
Pitt State’s all-time home record stands at 813-339 (.706).
Scouting The Gorillas
Pitt State has four players averaging double figures on the season and two 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, junior forward A.J. Adams and senior center Rico Pierrevilus.
Porter is averaging a team-leading 13.6 points per game, while McGee (12.4 ppg), Ingram (11.3 ppg) and Nolen (10.0 ppg) also are scoring in double figures. Adams is contributing just under 10 points per game at 9.4 points per contest. Pierrevilus adds 9.1 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 18th in the MIAA in scoring, sixth in the conference in free throw percentage (.840, 79-for-94) and 12th in the league in 3-point field goals (2.0 pg).
McGee contributes 12.4 points and a team-leading 7.4 rebounds per game. The Kansas City, Mo., native averaged 16.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in Pitt State’s previous nine outings before an injury that has kept him out of the team’s lineup the last four games. In his last action against Northeastern State on Jan. 23, he recorded 14 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
McGee, who ranks fifth in the MIAA in rebounding, 29th in the league in scoring and 13th in the conference in field goal percentage (.500, 80-for-160), became the 22nd player in school history to eclipse 1,000 career points on Jan. 19 in the Pitt State win over Fort Hays State.
McGee scored 22 points in that contest and now has 1,030 points in 101 career games, ranking 20th in career scoring. He also has 680 career rebounds, ranking fourth on that PSU career list.
Ingram has scored in double figures in 12 of the last 15 games he has played in 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. He has missed the last three contests due to an injury.
For the season, Ingram is shooting .465 (67-for-144) from the field and .663 (57-for-86) from the free throw line.
Nolen averages 10.0 points, 5.2 rebounds and a team-leading 1.8 steals per game. The Wichita, Kan., native ranks fourth in the MIAA in steals. He has recorded double figures in six of the last seven games, averaging 12.0 ppg during that span.
Adams has averaged 9.4 points and 4.7 rebounds per game to date. The Jeffersonville, Ind., native is shooting a team-leading .519 (69-for-133) from the field. 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. Adams led the Gorillas in the team’s last outing against Southwest Baptist with 19 points.
Pierrevilus is averaging 9.1 points and 6.1 rebounds per game on the season. He posted a double-double last Thursday (Feb. 7) in Pitt State’s game against Truman, recording 20 points and a game-high 13 rebounds.
For the season, Pierrevilus is shooting .467 (63-for-135) from the field and .795 (58-for-73) from the free throw line. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native ranks 13th in the MIAA in free throw percentage and sixth in blocked shots (1.1 bpg).
Freshman guard Jake Bullard returned to the lineup against Washburn Saturday (Feb. 2) after missing five games with an injury. Bullard is averaging 5.3 points and 2.1 rebounds per contest. He has scored nine points in all three games since his return from injury.
As a team, Pitt State is averaging 74.4 points per game, while limiting its opponents to 71.0 points. The Gorillas are shooting .433 from the field (514-1187), but they are limiting their opposition to .412 shooting (506-1229).
Pitt State has generated 28 percent of its offense from the free throw line thus far. The Gorillas have converted 440 of 627 free throws (.702), averaging 21.0 points per game from the charity stripe. Pitt State has outscored its opponents by an average of 4.4 points per game from the foul line thus far.
The Gorillas are fifth in the MIAA in scoring (74.4 ppg) and rank 10th in free throw percentage (.702). Pitt State also leads the conference in offensive rebounds (13.9 pg) and ranks second in rebounding margin (+5.7 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 18.0 points per game, ranking second in the MIAA in scoring. He also has dished out a team-best 106 assists (4.8 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 15.9 points and 9.9 rebounds. Bransford is shooting .554 from the field (139-for-251) and he’s posted a team-leading 16 blocked shots. Bransford leads the MIAA in rebounding, ranks eighth in the league in scoring, sixth in the conference in field goal percentage and 11th in the MIAA in free throw percentage (.798, 71-for-89).
Anderson also chips in with 10.8 points per game. He’s shooting .476 (80-for-168) with a team-leading 46 3-pointers (46-for-109, .455). He ranks seventh in the MIAA in 3-point field goal percentange, behind teammate Jon Miller (.443, 27-for-61) who is second in the conference.
As a team, NSU averages 72.8 points per game while surrendering just 63.3 points per game. The River Hawks lead the MIAA in free throw percentage (.773, 338-for-437), 3-point field goal percentage defense (.308, 123-for-400), field goal percentage and are second in 3-point field goal percentage (.401, 155-for-387).
Probable Starters
Pitt State (14-7, 7-6 MIAA)
F 20 A.J. Adams, 6-6, 210, Jr., Jeffersonville, Ind.
C 34 Rico Pierrevilus, 6-7, 240, Sr., West Palm Beach, Fla.
G 1 Jake Bullard, 6-5, 190, Fr., Cleora, Okla.
G 3 Kaleb Porter, 5-11, 170, Fr., Tulsa, Okla.
G 15 Marky Nolen, 6-4, 200, Sr., Wichita, Kan.
Northeastern State (17-6, 10-5 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
