PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will travel to Bolivar, Mo., Saturday (Dec. 20) to face Southwest Baptist University in Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play.

Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. (CST) at SBU's Meyer Sports Center.

The Records
Pitt State brings a 4-4 overall record and a 1-0 MIAA mark into Saturday's action. The Gorillas claimed a thrilling 69-67 victory over Northwest Missouri State University in their last action Dec. 6. Sophomore guard Josiah Gustafson hit a pull-up jumper with 7.7 seconds remaining in regulation to break a 67-67 tie and propel Pitt State to the win in its MIAA season debut.

Southwest Baptist is 5-6 overall and 1-2 in MIAA play. The Bearcats claimed their second consecutive victory with a 69-46 non-conference win over Blue Mountain (Miss.) College Monday (Dec. 15) at Bolivar, Mo.  SBU also posted a 71-51 home win over Emporia State University in MIAA action Saturday (Dec. 13).

The Coaches
Pittsburg State's Kevin Muff is in his fifth 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.

He has a 60-59 (.504) record in his tenure with the Gorillas.  This will be his eighth meeting vs. NWMSU. Muff is 1-6 vs. the Bearcats.

Clark Sheehy is in his first season as head coach at SBU and his 10th year as a collegiate coach. He has a 187-112 (.625) career record, including leading John Brown University to the NAIA Elite Eight in 2010. This will be his first vs. the Gorillas.

Series History
This will be the 60th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and Bearcats in a series that dates back to the 1966 season. SBU holds a 32-27 edge in the series, including a 16-9 advantage in games played at Bolivar. The Gorillas had dropped seven straight road games to the Bearcats before claiming a 73-67 victory in their last trip to Bolivar on Dec. 10, 2011.

Last year:  SBU used a 14-0 flurry in the second half to turn a six-point game into a commanding 20-point lead which propeled the Bearcats to an 89-74 road win over Pittsburg State on Feb. 4.

SBU converted 14 of 29 3-pointers in the contest, outscoring Pitt State by 10 points from long-range.

Pitt State's Devon Branch led all scorers with 32 points. He made 12 of 20 shots from the field and added eight of 12 free throw attempts. The rest of the Gorillas combined to make 16 of 41 shots (.390).

Desi Barmore posted a double-double with a team-leading 26 points and 10 rebounds for the Bearcats.

Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State has three players scoring in double figures early in the season: sophomore guard Josiah Gustafson (17.0 ppg), senior guard Devon Branch (16.6 ppg) and junior forward Lamine Dieng (10.2 ppg).

Gustafson (6-6, 190) is shooting 51.1 percent from the field (46 of 90), including 11 of 22 from 3-point range. The Omaha, Neb., native also has made 33 of 39 (.846) free throw attempts. Gustafson has scored 20 or more points three times this season, including 23 in Pitt State's win vs. Texas A&M-Kingsville on Nov. 29.

Branch (6-6, 180) is shooting 56.3 percent from the floor, converting 49 of 87 shots on the season. He's also contributing 3.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and a team-leading 1.6 steals per game. The Aberdeen, Md., native scored 15 points and dished out a career-high eight assists vs. Newman (Dec. 2).

Dieng made his Pitt State debut against West Texas A&M on Nov. 26. The Thies, Senegal native redshirted in 2013-14 and missed the Gorillas' first three games this season. He has averaged 10.2 points and a team-leading 5.2 rebounds thus far. Dieng (6-8, 240) had a season-best 18 points and nine rebounds vs. Newman. He had 12 points and nine rebounds in his Pitt State debut vs. WTAMU (Nov. 26).

Sophomore forward Trevor Gregory (6-7, 235) also chips in with 7.3 points and 3.9 rebounds per game, while junior guard Javis Flynn (5-10, 170) adds 5.6 points and a team-leading 5.0 assists per game.  Flynn scored a season-best 14 points against Northwest Missouri (Dec. 6).
Freshman guard Dakota Jones scored a season-high 12 points vs. Newman (Dec. 2). The Warrensburg, Mo., native is averging 5.3 points per game.

As a team, Pitt State has averaged 72.6 points per game, shooting 50.1 percent from the floor (205 of 409), 39.8 percent from 3-point range (35 of 88) and 72.7 percent from the free throw line (136 of 187). The opposition has averaged 71.2 points per game and shot 46.2 percent from the field (186 of 354).

Scouting the Bearcats
SBU has two players scoring in double figures to date: senior guard Menas Stephens (11.8 ppg) and junior forward Daymond Cowlah (11.6 ppg). The Bearcats also have three players averaging between seven and 10 points:  senior guard Derrick Stewart (7.3 ppg), freshman guard Robert Shaw (7.5 ppg) and sophomore forward Quinton Smith (9.4 ppg).

Cowlah (6-1, 175) is shooting 56.3 percent from the field (40 of 71) and averaging 3.1 assists per game, while Stephens (6-5, 215) is averaging a double-double with his team-leading 10.6-rebound average to go with his scoring total.

As a team, SBU has averaged 65.8 points, while its opponents have averaged 69.3 points.  The Bearcats are shooting 41.1 percent from the field (218 of 531), including 31.5 percent from 3-point range (67 of 213). SBU is shooting 70.8 percent from the free throw line (155 of 219). The Bearcats average nearly 22 3-point field goal attempts per game, making 6.7 of those attempts.

Pitt State Probable Starters
    F    20    Lamine Dieng, 6-8, 240, Jr., Thies, Senegal
    F    32    Trevor Gregory, 6-7, 235, So., Lee's Summit, Mo.
    G    3    Javis Flynn, 5-10, 170, Jr., Watonga, Okla.
    G    4    Josiah Gustafson, 6-6, 190, So., Omaha, Neb.
    G    5    Devon Branch, 6-6, 180, Sr., Aberdeen, Md.

Southwest Baptist Probable Starters
    F    1    David Gabrovsek, 6-7, 225, So., Domzale, Slovenia
    F    5    Finn Delaney, 6-7, 225, Fr., Nelson, New Zealand
    G    10    Derrick Stewart, 5-9, 166, Sr., Rolumus, Mich.
    G    15    Daymond Cowlah, 6-1, 175, Jr., Pacoima, Calif.
    G    20    Menas Stephens, 6-5, 215, Sr., Los Angeles, Calif.