PITTSBURG – No. 3 Pitt State closes out 2016 hosting a top 5 national battle in John Lance Arena as the No. 5 Emporia State Lady Hornets come to Pittsburg. This will be a non-conference game and the ninth meeting between the two teams in the last three seasons. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. There are still tickets available. The ticket office will open at 11 a.m. and seating will be available at 11:30 a.m.

The Gorillas open the New Year on the road at Northwestern Oklahoma in Alva, Okla. on January 2 at 5:30p.m.

Ticket Specials

Pitt State Athletics is offering two holiday ticket packages this year. Until January 12, fans can purchase a package for all eight home games in January and February for $70 for reserved seats or $50 for general admission. Also a Winter Break special is available for the women's game vs. Emporia State on December 31 and the men's game on January 2 against Avila only. With this special, one adult admission gets two children's admissions free. Either of these packages can be purchase in person or by calling the PSU ticket office at (620) 235-4796.

Scouting Emporia State

Emporia State comes to Pittsburg with an 11-1 record overall and a 3-1 reord in MIAA play. The team's only loss of the season came at Fort Hays State, 51-54, on December 10. The team earned two more wins at Lindenwood and Lincoln following that game. 

The Lady Hornets average 87.5 points per game, while holing opponents to only 54.0 ppg. They outrebound opponents by 15.7 ppg, pulling down nearly 47 rebounds per game. The team leads the MIAA in scoring, scoring margin, offensive rebounds (17.8 0rpg), blocked shots (6.33 bpg) and assists (18.33 apg). The Lady Hornets make 45 percent of their shots overall and 38 percent (95-248) from three-point range.

Three players average double figure points for Emporia State. Kelly Moten leads the team with 17.0 ppg. Addie Lackey scored 13.9 ppg and Kyrstie Miller adds 12.1 ppg. Tiana Moala is the leading rebounder with 7.3 rpg, while Miller adds 6.8 rpg. Lackey is the team's top three-point shooter with 23 threes made, while Miller has made 21. Megan Holloway has made 14 threes, but shoots 58 percent from three. Kelly Moten leads the team in assists with 4.2 apg. Miller leads in steals with 37 and Moala leads in blocks with 21. 

Scouting Northwestern Oklahoma

Northwestern Oklahoma is 3-6 on the season and 2-2 in Great American Conference play. Their wins were over Oklahoma Panhandle, Southern Arkansas and Arkansas-Monticello. The team last played on December 10 and suffered a 59-81 loss at the hands of Oklahoma Christian.

The Rangers average 62.7 ppg, while allowing opponents 77.6 ppg, a 14.9 ppg deficit. The team owns a .325 shooting percentage overall and a .307 three-point shooting percentage. They make almost nine threes a game. The team averages 35.1 rebounds per game. 

Kalea King leads the team with 14.6 ppg. Kori Barrios adds 9.1 ppg and Ashley Pride adds 8.7 ppg. Barrios is the team's leading rebounder, pulling down 5.4 rpg. She is also the team's leading three-point shooter with 18 on the season. 

Scouting Pittsburg State

Pittsburg State is the No. 3 team in the country with an 11-0 record overall and a 4-0 record in MIAA play. The team has not played in three weeks, with their last game being an 83-52 win at Lincoln on December 10. The team has won its games by an average of almost 24 points per game, putting up 77.5 ppg, while holding opponents to just 53.9. The 61-point win over Rio-Piedras was the largest of the season. 

The Gorillas are shooting .445 from the floor overall and .395 from three-point range. The Gorillas make an average of 11.3 threes a game, but holding opponents to just 3.2 made threes a game. Pitt State is also outrebounding its opponents by 10.0 rpg. 

Mikaela Burgess leads the Gorillas with 17.8 ppg and was named the MIAA Player of the Week for the week of Nov. 21-27. She scored her 1,000th career point on December 1 against Nebraska-Kearney. She has hit 38 threes on the season, which leads the MIAA. Shelby Lopez is the team's second leading scorer with 10.5 pg, most of them coming off the bench though she did start the last two games. She has made 30 threes this season, which is also second in the MIAA. 

Paige Lungwitz adds 9.7 ppg. She was named the MIAA Player of the Week for the week of November 30-December 4 after putting up a career-high 27 against UNK. Elena Flott scores with 9.4 ppg and the second-leading rebounder with 5.8 rebounds per game. She recorded the first double-double of her career with 15 points and 11 rebounds against UNK. She missed the last two games due to injury, but is expected to be back against Emporia State. 

Madison Northcutt is a force on the boards and leads the team with 7.3 rebounds per game, while also scoring 8.5 ppg. She had a coming out game of sorts against Lindenwood in which she scored 18 points in the first half on the way to a career-high 21 points overall. She followed that with her first career double-double (10 pts, 11 rbds) against Lincoln. Hadyn Herlocker chips in 8.3 ppg and leads the team with 6.7 assists and 2.7 steals per game. Her assists lead the MIAA, while her steals are third. Herlocker is also the team's third-leading recbounder with 5.0 rpg. She earned MIAA and HERO Sports National Player of the Week honors after putting up a double-double with 12 points and a school record 13 assists at Lincoln on December 10.

PSU vs. Emporia State

Historically, the series between Pitt State and Emporia State has been a very lopsided one, with Emporia leading the series 53-28. However, in recent years the two teams are much more even. Since the 2009-10 season, the two teams are 10-9 against each other, including 2-1 in NCAA Tournament play. 

Emporia State won all four meetings between the two teams in the 2014-15 season, as the two teams not only faced off twice in regular season play, but also once in the MIAA Tournament, and once in the NCAA-II Regional Semifinals. Prior to that last season, Pitt State had won eight of 10 meetings, including a win in the NCAA South Central Regional final in 2012. The two teams split the regular season series last year, with each team winning on the other's home court. Emporia State won the MIAA Tournament Championship game, 80-66, but Pittsburg State rebounded with a 78-74 in the NCAA Central Regional Championship to advance to the Elite Eight.

Prior the Gorillas seven-game win streak from Feb. 17, 2010 to Feb. 20, 2013, Pitt State had not won back to back games in the series since winning three straight from Feb. 8, 1995 to Jan. 18, 1997. Emporia also won 13 of the first 14 meetings between the two teams. The longest streak of wins in the series was nine games by ESU from Jan. 5, 1998 to Feb. 21, 2001. Pitt State's longest streak of wins was the seven game streak from Feb. 17, 2010 to Feb. 20, 2013.

    Thirteen of the last 18 games have been decided by less than 10 points, including both of Pitt State's wins last season. The Hornets have won 17 games by 20 or more points, while Pitt State has only won one game by that margin, a 35-point win in Pittsburg on Jan. 7, 2002. The largest win in the series was an 85-point Emporia win on Dec. 11, 1975. 

PSU vs. Northwest Oklahoma

Last year was the first time Pittsburg State and Northwestern Oklahoma have ever played each other. The Gorillas won the game 96-56 in Pittsburg.

In the Polls

Pitt State has been No. 3 in the last two WBCA Coaches Polls. This ties the highest ranking ever for the PSU Women's Basketball Program. The Gorillas pushed their way into the top five at No. 4 with their 7-0 start to the season in the November 29 poll. The team held steady at No. 4 in the December 6 poll, but moved up to No. 3 on Dec. 13. Pitt State moved up three spots from its No. 7 spot in the Nov. 22 poll, the first regular season poll of the 2016-17 season.

Pitt State opened the season ranked No. 12 in the WBCA Preseason Coaches Poll. This marked only the second time in school history the Gorillas have started the season ranked in the nation's top 25. The other time being a No. 3 ranking at the start of the 2012-13 season. The No. 3 ranking was the highest ever for the PSU Women's Basketball program.

Emporia State spent several weeks at No. 1 before falling to No. 5. Central Oklahoma made its first appearance in the poll on Dec. 21, ringing in at No. 19. Fort Hays State and Central Missouri are each receiving votes.  

Up Next

The Gorillas return to MIAA play on January 5 at 5:30 p.m. at Missouri Western. That game will be followed by a 1:30 p.m. game at Northwest Missouri on January 7. 

Record Setter

Pittsburg State senior Hadyn Herlocker set a school record for single game assists with 13 assists at Lincoln on December 10. The previous record was held by Megan Reid and Leslie Dudley with 12 and had stood since 1997.  

Records Check

Its time to start tracking some Gorillas in the record books. After only 11 games, junior Mikaela Burgess is already moving up the all-time threes list. She just passed Drew Roberts to move into second with 194 career threes. Burgess is averaging 3.6 made threes a game this season and would need 170 threes through the rest of this season and next for the school record. Jenni Miller holds the career record with 364. 

Hadyn Herlocker finished last season second on the single season assists list with 156, almost double from her previous two seasons combined. Herlocker now has 319 assists for her career, which is seventh on the all-time list. With seven more assists she will move into sixth ahead of Lizzy Jeronimus who has 325. Current assistant coach Amanda Davied is the career record holder with 553.

1000 and Climbing

Mikaela Burgess is not only climbing up the career-three-point list, but also now scored 1000 career points. She hit that career milestone on December 1 against Nebraska-Kearney as she hit a layup with 4:07 left in the third quarter. 

Burgess currently has 1068 points, 283 her freshman year, 589 last season and 196 so far this season. Her 589 points last season were third only to Lizzy Jeronimus and Leslie Dudley, the two top scorers (men or women) in Pitt State history. 

Burgess is the 20th player in school history to score 1000 or more points in her career. She is currently No. 15 on the all-time scoring list. She needs 35 points to pass Cathy Brugman for 14th and 39 to move ahead of Kylie Gafford for 13th.  

Program Milestones

Pitt State's 70-38 win over Mary was the 600th win in program history. The Gorillas now have a 610-479 (.560) all-time record. The Gorillas are 330-177 at home, 201-257 on the road and 71-42 at neutral sites. Head Coach Lane Lord is now just six wins from his 200th win at Pitt State. 

In the MIAA Stats

Pitt State leads the MIAA in scoring defense, allowing opponents only 539 ppg. The Gorillas are also the top three-point shooting team, having made 124 threes on the season, 11.3 threes per game. Pitt State is also tops in three-point defense, holding opponents to a .205 (35-171) three-point shooting percentage.

Individually, Mikaela Burgess is the league's second leading scorer with 17.8 ppg. She leads the league with 38 threes made and 3.5 threes made a game. She is 15th in field goal percentage (.418) and ninth in three-point percentage (.404). Shelby Lopez is fifth in three-point percentage (.441) and second in threes per game with 2.7. Hadyn Herlocker leads the MIAA in assists per game w ith 6.7 and is second in assists/turnover ratio with 3.5 and third in steals with 2.7 steals per game. Madison Northcutt is eighth in rebounds with 7.3 rpg.

In the NCAA Stats

The Gorillas rank among the top 10 in the nation for scoring margin (seventh), three-point defense (third), threes attempted (eighth), threes made (fourth), threes per game (third) and three point percentage (eighth). The Gorillas are one of 12 undefeated teams in the country. 

Herlocker is fifth in the nation with her 74 assists and fourth in assists per game. She also ranks 10th in assists/turnover ratio.  

Burgess is 15th in the nation for threes attempted with 94, 10th for threes made with 38 and ninth for threes per game with 3.45. Burgess also ranks 12th among active career leaders with 194 threes made, is ninth for career threes per game with 2.49 and fifth for career three-point percentage w ith .400.