PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will hit the road for the final  game of the regular season Saturday (Feb. 27) when the Gorillas make the trek to Joplin, Mo., to face MIAA rival Missouri Southern State University. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. (CST) at MSSU's Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

The Records
Pitt State is 16-11 overall, 11-10 in MIAA play and tied with Lindenwood University for fifth place in the conference standings. The Gorillas enter Saturday's action on a four-game winning streak. Pitt State picked up road wins against the University of Central Missouri (74-72) and Southwest Baptist University (85-72) last week.

Missouri Southern is 16-11 overall, 13-8 in MIAA play and tied with Fort Hays State University and the University of Nebraska-Kearney for second place in the conference standings. The Lions have won two straight games over SBU (80-70) and UCM (78-71) last week.

Head Coach Kevin Muff
Pittsburg State's Kevin Muff is in his sixth 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 92-78 (.541) record in his tenure with the Gorillas.

Muff was named the 2015 MIAA Co-Coach of the Year after leading the Gorillas to a 16-11 regular season record and a tie for third-place in the MIAA standings. Pitt State was picked to finish 10th in the 14-team league in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll after posting an 8-18 (4-15 MIAA) mark the previous season.

He then guided the Gorillas to a perfect 4-0 record in the MIAA Postseason Tournament, helping the Gorillas become the first No. 5 seed to claim the championship. Pitt State earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II National Tournament and finished the 2014-15 campaign with a 20-12 overall record.

Saturday's action will be Muff's 11th match-up against MSSU. He has a 5-5 record against the Lions.

Series History
Pitt State and MSSU will meet for the 97th time Saturday in a series that dates all the way back to the 1969 season – MSSU's first year as a four-year college.

The Lions hold a slight 50-46 edge in the series, including a 33-14 advantage in games played at Joplin. MSSU has an 11-2 record in the last 13 meetings on its home floor against Pitt State, including three straight wins.

The Gorillas defeated the Lions, 89-80, in Pittsburg on Jan. 16.

Pitt State used a 14-2 run to overcome an early 7-2 deficit against MSSU and flip the scoreboard in the Gorillas favor. The Gorillas would build a 14-point first-half lead en route to the win.

Trey Starks paced five Pitt State players in double figures with a team-leading 19 points. Dakota Jones added 16 points, while Josiah Gustafson finished with 14 points and seven rebounds.
Taevaunn Prince had a game-high 32 points thanks in large part to an 18 of 19 shooting day from the free throw line.

Gorillas on the Road
Pitt State has compiled a 436-704 (.382) record in 1,140 all-time road games.

The Gorillas have posted a 23-48 (.324) road record in six seasons under Coach Muff, including a 6-7 mark this season; and Pitt State is 110-200 (.355) in 310 road games since joining the MIAA and the NCAA Division II ranks starting in the 1990 season.

Scouting the Gorillas
The Gorillas have three players averaging in double figures on the season: junior guard Josiah Gustafson (16.0 ppg), senior guard Trey Starks (15.9 ppg) and sophomore guard Dakota Jones (11.8 ppg).
Gustafson (6-6, 180) is averaging a team-leading 16.0 points per game  The Omaha, Neb., native has coverted 143 of 284 shots (.504) from the field, 53 of 112 3-point field goals (.473) and 92 of 104 free throws (.885) in 31.4 minutes of action per game. He also is averaging a team-leading 5.2 rebounds as well as 1.7 assists per game.

Gustafson ranks 10th in the MIAA in scoring. He ranks second the MIAA in free throw percentage and third in the league in 3-point field goal percentage.

Gustafson made 38 consecutive free throws between Nov. 14 and Jan. 2.

He scored a career-high 34 points in the Gorillas 100-97 victory over William Jewell on Nov. 19.  He was named the MIAA Player of the Week on Nov. 30, after averaging 21.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in a pair of victories at Denver, Colo., against Regis and Metro State.

Gustafson started all 32 games as a sophomore in 2014-15 in the Pitt State program, averaging 15.5 points per game. He ranked eighth in the MIAA in scoring and fifth in the league in free throw percentage (.838, 124-148).

For his career, Gustafson has scored 1,137 points in 85 games, averaging 13.4 points per game.  He became the 22nd player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points Saturday (Jan. 23) against Lincoln.
He currently ranks 10th on Pitt State's all-time scoring chart.  Gustafson needs 81 more points to pass Bruce Palmer (1953-56) for ninth place on the list.

Starks (6-0, 190) is averaging 15.9 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on the year. The Springfield, Mo., native is shooting 48.5 percent from the field (131-of-270) and he's made 118 of 144 free throw attempts (.819) on the season.

He currently ranks 11th in the MIAA in scoring and 11th in the conference in free throw percentage.

Starks earned MIAA Player of the Week honors Monday (Feb. 15) after scoring a career-high 28 points in the Gorillas' win over Fort Hays State then matching it with 28 points in Pitt State's win over Nebraska-Kearney last Saturday.

Starks averaged 12.3 points in Pitt State's final 12 games in 2014-15, after taking the court for the first time with the Gorillas on Feb. 7.

He scored a season-high 24 points in the finals of the MIAA Tournament against Missouri Southern (Mar. 8) to help the Gorillas claim the tournament title. Starks was named the MIAA Tournament Most Valuable Player, averaging 15.3 points per game in Pitt State's four victories.

Jones is averaging 11.8 points and 2.0 assists per game. The Warrensburg, Mo., native is shooting 46.0 percent from the field (104-of-226), including 45.3 percent from 3-point range (43-of-95). He's also converted 67 of 77 free throws (.870) on the season.

Jones tallied a career-high 23 points vs. Northeastern State on Dec. 2. He also scored 23 points and converted five of seven 3-point field goals against Missouri Western on Dec. 10. Jones matched the 23-point scoring output for a third time on the season the last time out against Southwest Baptist (Feb. 20).

Jones would rank fifth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage but does not meet the 2.0 per game minimum of makes to qualify for a ranking.

Additionally, three Pitt State players are averaging between 6.0 and 7.6 points on the year:  sophomore guard Jaxon Holden (7.9 ppg), senior guard Javis Flynn (7.6 ppg) and senior forward Denton Hays (6.2 ppg).

Holden (6-1, 185) scored 19 points in his Pitt State debut on Nov. 13 vs. Minnesota State. The Flower Mound, Texas native is averaging 7.4 points on the season. He suffered a concussion five minutes into the Newman game on Nov. 17. He missed five games, before returning to the lineup in a reserve role vs. Missouri Western on Dec. 10.

Holden came to Pitt State after one season at Stephen F. Austin University where he played in 17 games for the Lumberjacks as a freshman in 2014-15 and helped SFA to a 29-5 record and a trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Flynn is averaging 7.6 points, 4.8 assists as well as 2.0 steals per game. The Watonga, Okla., native scored a career-high 19 points in the Gorillas' win vs. William Jewell (Nov. 19) and matched that total against Fort Hays State (Jan. 2). He dished out 10 helpers in the win vs. St. Cloud State (Nov. 14); and he currently ranks leads the the MIAA in assists and ranks second in the league in steals.

Flynn led the MIAA in assists and steals last season. He also converted 17 of 45 3-point field goal attempts (.378) on the year.

His 76 steals and his 160 assists both ranked as the second highest single season totals in school history.  Flynn set the Pitt State single game assist record with 12 helpers vs. Emporia State on Jan. 14. He twice made a season-high seven steals, including vs. Minnesota State-Moorhead in the NCAA Division II National Tournament.

Hays (6-7, 225) is averaging 6.2 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in 18.0 minutes of action. The Tulsa, Okla., native posted his first career double-double with a career-high 21 points and 12 rebounds in Pitt State's victory over Missouri Western on Jan. 27.

As a team, the Gorillas are averaging 77.4 points per game and shooting 49.0 percent from the field (696-of-1420). Pitt State also is shooting 40.2 percent from 3-point range (189-of-470) and 77.0 percent from the free throw line (510-of-662). The Gorillas are +1.2 in the rebounding margin department.

Defensively, Pitt State is allowing 75.9 points per game while its opponents are shooting 48.1 percent from the field (712-of-1481), 40.8 percent from 3-point range (204-of-500) and 74.0 percent from the free throw line (422-of-570).

Pitt State ranks third in the MIAA in field goal percentage, but the squad is 13th in the league in field goal percentage defense. The Gorillas are fourth in the league in 3-point field goal percentage.

Pitt State Probable Starters
    F    4    Josiah Gustafson, 6-6, 190, Jr., Omaha, Neb.
    F    22    Denton Hays, 6-7, 225, Sr., Tulsa, Okla.
    G    3    Javis Flynn, 5-10, 170, Sr., Watonga, Okla.
    G    11    Trey Starks, 6-0, 190, Sr., Springfield, Mo.
    G    32    Dakota Jones, 5-11, 175, So., Warrensburg, Mo.