PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University men's basketball team will open postseason play Tuesday (Mar. 1) by hosting Lindenwood University in the first round of the 2016 MIAA Championships.  Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at John Lance Arena.

The Records
Pitt State brings a 16-12 record into the postseason. The Gorillas posted an 11-11 conference mark, finishing in a five-way tie for fifth place in the MIAA standings. Pitt State earned the No. 8 seed for the MIAA Championships.

The Gorillas dropped an 86-82 road decision to Missouri Southern State University in the regular season finale Saturday (Feb. 27).

Lindenwood is 15-13 overall, after dropping the final seven games of the regular season to finish with an 11-11 conference mark.  The Lions, the No. 9 for the MIAA Championships, dropped a 69-67 overtime decision to Lincoln University Saturday (Feb. 27) at Jefferson City, Mo.

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 92-79 (.538) 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.

Tuesday's action will be Muff's fourth match-up against LWU. He has a 2-1 record against the Lions.

Gorillas, Lions in the MIAA Championships
Pitt State is making its 20th appearance in the MIAA Championships. The Gorillas have compiled an 18-17 (.514) record in 35 MIAA Tournament games and reached the Finals of the tournament four times.

Pitt State, the defending tournament champion, has compiled an 8-8 (.500) record in MIAA Tournament games played at Municipal Auditorium.

Lindenwood is making its third appearance in the MIAA Championships.  The Lions are 0-2 (.000) in their previous MIAA Tournament games.

Series History
Pitt State and Lindenwood will meet for the seventh time Tuesday in a series that dates back to the 1989 season.  The Gorillas hold a 4-2 edge in the series.

Pitt State posted a 70-66 victory over LWU in the only meeting of the season on Jan. 21, 2016, at St. Charles, Mo. Josiah Gustafson scored a team-leading 21 points to lead four Gorillas in double digits against the Lions.

Pitt State also defeated LWU, 74-55, in the quarterfinals of the 2015 MIAA Championships at Kansas City, Mo.

Gorillas at Home
Pitt State has compiled a 391-183 (.681)  record in 574 career games played at John Lance Arena (1970-present).

The Gorillas have posted a 211-73 (.743) record on their home floor during the past 21 seasons (1997-2016), including a school record 40 straight home wins between Jan. 10, 1997 and Feb. 22, 1999. Pitt State is 53-25 (.679) at home during the past six seasons under Coach Muff.

All told, the Gorillas have compiled an 835-344 (.708) all-time home record, winning 70.8 percent of their 1,179  home games.

Scouting the Gorillas
The Gorillas have three players averaging in double figures on the season: senior guard Trey Starks (16.4 ppg),  junior guard Josiah Gustafson (15.4 ppg) and sophomore guard Dakota Jones (11.8 ppg).

Gustafson (6-6, 180) is averaging 15.4 points per game  The Omaha, Neb., native has coverted 143 of 287 shots (.498) from the field, 53 of 112 3-point field goals (.473) and 92 of 104 free throws (.885) in 30.9 minutes of action per game. He also is averaging a team-leading 5.1 rebounds as well as 1.6 assists per game.

Gustafson ranks 11th in the MIAA in scoring. He ranks second the MIAA in free throw percentage and would rank third in the league in 3-point field goal percentage but he does not meet the minimum makes per game (3.0 pg) to qualify for a ranking.

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 86 games, averaging 13.2 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 a team-leading 16.4 points, 3.0 rebounds and 2.2 assists per game on the year. The Springfield, Mo., native is shooting 48.4 percent from the field (138-of-285) and he's made 131 of 160 free throw attempts (.819) on the season.

He currently ranks eighth in the MIAA in scoring and 10th 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 on Feb. 13. He set a new career scoring record in 29 points in the Gorillas regular season finale 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 46.4 percent from the field (109-of-235), including 45.4 percent from 3-point range (44-of-97). He's also converted 67 of 78 free throws (.859) 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).

Additionally, three Pitt State players are averaging between 6.3 and 7.7 points on the year:  sophomore guard Jaxon Holden (7.7 ppg), senior guard Javis Flynn (7.6 ppg) and senior forward Denton Hays (6.3 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, 4.9 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 third 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 6.3 points and 3.8 rebounds per game in 18.1 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 77.6 points per game and shooting 49.1 percent from the field (724-of-1475). Pitt State also is shooting 40.2 percent from 3-point range (196-of-487) and 77.0 percent from the free throw line (529-of-687). The Gorillas are +1.1 in the rebounding margin department.

Defensively, Pitt State is allowing 76.3 points per game while its opponents are shooting 48.2 percent from the field (738-of-1531), 41.2 percent from 3-point range (212-of-515) and 74.8 percent from the free throw line (448-of-599).

Pitt State ranks second 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.