Scouting Missouri Western

The Griffons come into their meeting with Pittsburg with a 7-0 record, including a 2-0 MIAA record. The team swept Central Missouri (78-55) and Southwest Baptist (93-87) on opening week of MIAA play.

    Missouri Western currently has three players scoring in double figures. Senior guard LaQuinta Jefferson is the top scorer in the MIAA, averaging 21.2 ppg while shooting .616 (45-73) from the field. Sarafina Handy scores 17.1 ppg, ranking her sixth in the MIAA in scoring. The other Griffon, senior forward Miliakere Koyamainavure, averages 13.9 ppg. Handy and Koyamainavure both tie for second in the MIAA, stealing 2.4 balls per game each.

    Missouri Western is collectively shooting .525 (246-469) from the field, .391 (45-115) from distance, and .765 (117-153) from the foul line. The Griffons also average 38.9 rebounds, 19.1 assists and 13.7 steals per contest. Their averaged 93.4 ppg tops the MIAA by a landslide.

Scouting Northwest Missouri

Northwest Missouri tabs a 2-6 record going into Wednesday's matchup at Missouri Southern. The team dropped their two last games against Southwest Baptist and Central Missouri, 38-62 and 39-85. They have yet to win a game on the road, but are 2-1 at home.

    Sophomore forward Tanya Meyers leads the offensive Bearcat attack, scoring 9.8 points per contest while shooting .412 (28-62) from the field. Junior guard Jasmin Howe adds 9.1 ppg and shoots .406 (13-32) from behind the arc. Taylor dishes out 2.2 apg and has 10 steals on the season. 

    As a team, Northwest Missouri shoots .394 (158-401) from the field, .315 (34-108) from long range, and .674 (64-95) from the charity stripe. The team also averages 31.9 rpg, 10.4 apg, 6.4 spg, and 51.8 ppg.

Scouting Northwestern Oklahoma

Northwestern Oklahoma takes a 1-6 record to Pittsburg. Their lone victory came from Oklahoma Panhandle State (Nov. 24), 72-63. The Rangers are still seeking their first home win.

    The team is led by junior post Kamera Bozeman, who averages 12.1 points per contest this season.  Bozeman also shoots .625 (35-56) from the field and pulls down 7.0 rebounds per contest. Junior forward Micaela Yu adds 8.9 ppg and junior point guard Ashley Pride chips in 8.3 ppg, while also leading the team in assists with 30 thus far.

    The rangers are shooting .343 (149-435) from the field, .252 (31-123) from behind the arc, and .670 (67-100) from the foul line. The team also averages 36.0 rebounds, 10.9 assists, 5.9 steals and 56.6 points per contest.

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. The road swing continued with two wins in the Tiger Classic in Hays, Kan. The Gorillas earned a 76-57 win over Regis and then followed with a convincing 87-48 win over St. Cloud State. Last week the Gorillas opened MIAA play with wins over Northeastern State and Central Oklahoma. The Bronchos were undefeated coming into the game

    Fourteen different players saw action in the first four games with 13 scoring. The Gorillas have averaged 76.7 points per game, while holding opponents to just 54.7 ppg. Pitt State is shooting .431 overall and .356 from three-point range. The Gorillas pull down 39.5 rebounds per game.

    Three different players averaged double figures over the first six games. Mikaela Burgess leads the team with 16.0 ppg, including a career-high 23 against Regis on November 20. Kylie Gafford scored 23 in the first outing of the season and averages 11.2 ppg on the season. She recorded the team's first double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds against Northeastern State Cathy Brugman came alive to hit six threes and score 22 against St. Cloud State on November 21. She averages 13.5 ppg and collected a couble-double with 21 points and 11 rebounds against Central Oklahoma. 

    Paige Imhoff stepped up to fill in for an injured Hadyn Herlocker on Saturday against Central Oklahoma. She came off the bench to score 18 points, pull down six rebounds and dish out five assists. She averages 5.0 ppg and leads the team with 22 assists and 10 steals. Elena Flott came off the bench to score 11 points in each of the first two games and is averaging 4.8 ppg. Gafford and Brugman lead the team with 5.7 rebounds per game, though Paige Lungwitz is just behind them with 5.2 rpg. Herlocker continues her career trend of taking care of the ball. In the first two games she dished out eight assists, but committed only one turnover, and now has 18 assists with nine turnovers. 

    Burgess leads the team with 20 threes made on the season. She is one of three players that have made five or more threes in the first two games. Brugman has made nine, Shelby Lopez, six and Herlocker, five. Lungwitz is the top free throw shooter. She has gone to the line 18 times and made 20 of her shots. Gafford is 24-for-27 from the charity stripe.

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 50-23, including a 19-16 record in Pittsburg, a 28-7 mark in St. Joseph and a 3-0 record a neutral sites. Pitt State won last season's meeting, 81-71.

    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 meeting, 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. Northwest Missouri

Pitt State leads the series with Northwest Missouri 30-20. Each team leads on its home court, with Pitt State leading 18-5 in Pittsburg and the Bearcats lead 12-11 in Maryville. Northwest leads on neutral sites, 3-1.

    Pitt State has won each of the last six meetings between the two teams. Pitt State's 73-30 win in Pittsburg on December 31, 2008 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 match up on November 24  was the lowest scoring affair in series history, with Pitt State winning, 51-44, a total of only 96 points. 51 points is the lowest winning score in series history.

She's Having a Block Party

Senior Kylie Gafford has been a significant presence down low for the Gorillas in her first three seasons. Her number of blocks has increased each season and with her team-leading eight blocks over the first six games, Gafford has 144 blocks for her career. Shehas passed Lauren Brown for second place and is 44 from surpassing the record of 187 set by Larissa Richards from 2008-2012.

Taking Care of the Rock

Junior point guard Hadyn Herlocker may not have seen a ton of court time prior to earning her starting spot this season, but the minutes she has played has made a significant impact, as she has done a superb job of taking care of the ball. Last season she dished out 65 assists with only 30 turnovers for a 2.2 assist/turnover ratio. She is just short of that for her career with 107 assists and only 56 turnovers for a 1.91 assist/turnover ratio. This season she is at exactly 2.0 with 18 assists and only nine turnovers, but she will be out the next few games due to injury.

Burgess for THREE!

Sophomore Mikaela Burgess leads the Gorillas with 20 threes in Pitt State's first six games, an average of just over three threes made per game. Last season she was second on the team with 52 threes made. She shoots .369 from three for her career and is on pace to find her way into the record books for threes made this season.

Up Next

Next week doesn't get any easier. Wednesday brings Washburn to John Lance Arena for a 5:30 p.m. game. Saturday brings No. 3 Emporia State to Pittsburg. Saturday will be the annual Ugly Christmas Sweater game, so be ready to break out your holiday finery to cheer on the Gorillas. Then the Gorillas will get a break until a non-conference game with St. Mary on December 30.