Pitt State (2-0) at Tiger Basketball Classic vs. Regis (1-1) vs. St. Clous State (0-0) What:    at Hays Shootout • Hays, Kan.  vs. Regis & vs. St. Cloud State When:    Friday, November 20 • 5 p.m. Saturday, November 21 • 2 p.m. Where:    Gross Memorial Coliseum • Hays, Kan. Head Coaches Pittsburg State (2-0, 0-0 MIAA):    Lane Lord (Tabor '93) Record at PSU/Overall:    156-83 (ninth season)/same Regis (1-1, 0-0 RMAC):    Molly Marrin (Regis '03) Record at RU/Overall:    1-0 (first season)/same Saint Cloud St. (0-0, 0-0 NSIC)    Lori Fish (South Dakota State '90) Record at SCSU/Overall:    108-85 (eighth season)/170-138 (12th overall) Last Time Out Pittsburg State:    at Mary • W, 62-49  Regis:    vs. Oklahoma Christian • W, 64-58  St. Cloud State:     vs. Northland College • W, 81-46 (exhibition) • will play Fort Hays State on November 20 What's Next? Pittsburg State:    December 2 vs. Northeastern State • 5:30 p.m. Regis:     November 21 vs.Fort Hays State • 5 p.m. St. Cloud State:    November 25 vs. South Dakota Mines • 6 p.m.

PITTSBURG, Kan. -- Pitt State plays in its second and final tournament before beginning MIAA play. The Gorillas will travel to Hays, Kan. for the Tiger Basketball Classic. The Gorillas will take on Regis on Friday, November 20 at 5 p.m., followed by a 2 p.m. match up with St. Cloud State on Saturday. All games will be aired live on KKOW AM 860. Both live stats and live video will be available from Fort Hays State.

Scouting Regis
The Rangers have started their 2015-16 campaign 1-1, falling to Newman (73-53) and topping Oklahoma Christian (64-58). The team is coming off of a 16-11 overall and 12-10 conference finish from the previous season, ranking seventh in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference. 

The team returns four starters from last year. Senior guard Bay'Lee Purdy, the team's top scorer, averages 19.0 ppg for the Rangers. Purdy has shot .407 from the field, .313 behind the arc, and .917 from the charity stripe. Senior guard Caresse Williams is the only other Ranger averaging double digits, adding 10.0 ppg. Freshman Shelby Espinosa and junior Karlyn Johnson pull down 9.5 and 8.5 rpg, respectively. 

This season, the Rangers are shooting .419 (22-53) from the field, .273 (5-16) from behind the arc, and .667 (10-15) from the foul line. The team also records 58.5 points, 36.0 rebounds, 12.5 assists, and 4.5 steals per game.

Scouting St. Cloud State
St. Cloud posts a 16-12 overall 2014-15 record. Although they have yet to play a regular season game, they are 1-1 in exhibition play this year. The team dropped their opening exhibition game to South Dakota State by a 35-point deficit, but redeemed themselves against Northland College with a 35-point win.

Three Huskies scored in double digits last year and will be returning this season: senior Lexy Petermann (14.2 ppg) and juniors Chelsea Nooker (12.6) and Betsy MacDonald (11.3 ppg). Petermann also averaged 7.2 rebounds per game for the Huskies. Nooker had the hottest hands on the team last season, tallying a .449 (96-214) from the field, .444 (20-45) behind the arc, and .836 (61-73) from the free throw line, along with 53 total steals. MacDonald dished out a total 83 assists.

The team collectively shot .400 from the field, .331 behind the arc, and a .756 free throw percentage. They also recorded 70.6 ppg, 36.8 rpg, 13.8 apg, and forced their opponents to commit 17.6 turnovers per game.

Scouting Pittsburg State
The Gorillas opened the 2015-16 season on November 13 and 14 with wins over Minot State and the University of Mary on the road as part of the MIAA/NSIC Challenge. The Gorillas defeated Minot, 78-60, and Mary, 62-49.

Thirteen different players saw action in the first two games with 10 scoring. The Gorillas have averaged 70.0 points per game, while holding opponents to just 54.5 ppg. Pitt State is shooting .389 overall and .265 from three-point range. The Gorillas pull down 38.5 rebounds per game.

Three different players averaged double figures over the first two games. Mikaela Burgess led the team with 15.0 ppg, scoring 19 against Mary and 11 against Minot State. Kylie Gafford scored 23 in the first outing of the season and six against Mary to average 14.5 ppg. Elena Flott came off the bench to add 11.0 ppg. Cathy Brugman was just under double figures with 9.0 ppg. Four different players led the Gorillas in rebounding with 5.5 rpg, Brugman, Hadyn Herlocker, Paige Lungwitz and Maddie Northcutt. Herlocker continued her career trend of taking care of the ball. In the first two games she dished out eight assists, but committed only one turnover. Burgess, Herlocker and Shelby Lopez led the team in steals with three each. Brugman led in blocks with three.

Flott shoots the highest percentage overallbat .636. Burgess had made five threes in the first two games, but Brenlee McPherson shoots a slightly higher percentage (.667), as does Hadyn Herlocker (.500). Paige Lungwitz leads the team in free throws,  having made 10-of-10 on the season.

Pitt State vs. Opponents
Pitt State has never played either of the teams it will face this weekend. 

In the Polls
The USA Today/WBCA Preseason Coaches Poll was released on November 3. Despite their regional appearance last season, the Gorillas are neither ranked nor receiving votes. Several Gorillas opponents are in the poll though, led by top-ranked Emporia State. Fort Hays State rings in at No. 10. Fellow MIAA teams Missouri Western and Central Missouri are both receiving votes.

Rules Changes
Fans will notice some drastic changes in the women's game this season. These changes were made to bring the collegiate game more into line with the international game. Some of the most important changes follow.

Instead of two 20 minute halfs, games will now be made of four 10 minute quarters. There will be one media timeout at the first dead ball below the five minute mark of each quarter. Each team will get three 30 second timeouts and one 60 second time out (previously was 4 30s and one full). There will be no more one-and-one foul shots. A team will get two free throws after the fifth foul in each period of play. When an offensive player has her back to the basket, the defensive post player may have a forearm or one hand on the offensive player. 
 

Up Next
Pitt State will open the MIAA portion of the season on December 2 at 5 :30 p.m. against Northeastern State. The game will also be the team's home opener. Pittsburg State has fun game entertainment planned as the ZooperStars! inflatable mascots will be performing for the first time ever in Pittsburg.