The Gorillas take the road to take on fellow Kansas teams Emporia State and Washburn. The Gorillas look to get back their Dec. 31 non-conference loss to the Lady Hornets on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, the team will take the court in Topeka against Washburn at 5 p.m.

Scouting Emporia State

Emporia State is 14-2 on the season and 5-2 in MIAA play. The Lady Hornets are No. 9 in the WBCA Poll after suffering their second setback of the season with a 64-70 loss to Central Oklahoma last Thursday. The team's only other loss of the season was a 51-54 loss at Fort Hays State. 

The Lady Hornets average 83.6 points per game, while holding opponents to only 55.5 ppg. They outrebound opponents by 15.9 ppg, pulling down nearly 47 rebounds per game. The team leads the MIAA in scoring, scoring margin, offensive rebounds (18.7 0rpg), blocked shots and assists (16.69 apg). The Lady Hornets make 44 percent of their shots overall and 36 percent (123-338) from three-point range.

Three players average double figure points for Emporia State. Kelly Moten leads the team with 17.8 ppg. Addie Lackey scores 12.8 ppg and Kyrstie Miller adds 11.7 ppg. Kathyrn Flott is the team's leading rebounder with 8.0 rebounds per game. She is the reigning MIAA Player of the Week and has averaged a double-double since returning from an injury. Miller adds 6.5 rpg. Lackey is the team's top three-point shooter with 28 threes made, while Miller has made 26. Megan Holloway has made 17 threes, but shoots 52 percent from three. Kelly Moten leads the team in assists with 4.5 apg. Miller leads in steals with 40 and Tiana Moala leads in blocks with 21.  

Scouting Washburn

The Ichabods are 11-5 on the season and 4-3 in MIAA play. The team's three conference losses were to Fort Hays State, Emporia State and, most recently, Central Oklahoma. The team also lost non-conference games to Mary and Drury. 

Washburn averages 67.9 ppg, just 10.3 ppg more than their opponents. The team shoots .436 overall, while holding opponents to a .351 shooting percentage. It shoots .313 from three. The Ichabods are typically a strong rebounding team and this season are pulling down 40.6 rebounds per game, 8.1 more than their opponents. The team commits 16.4 turnovers per game. 

Three players average just over 10 points per game for Washburn. Jharian Bowen and Alyxis Bowens share the lead with 10.9 ppg a piece. Erika Lane adds 10.2 ppg. Bowens is the team's leading rebounder with 6.1 rpg. Felisha Gibbs adds 5.7 rpg. Bowens shoots an impressive .616 from the floor overall, while Gibbs also shoots over .600 at .652. Bowen is the top three-point shooter on the team. She has made 31 threes on the season and shoots .373 from long range. 

Scouting Pittsburg State

Pittsburg State is the No. 3 team in the country with an 16-1 record overall and a 8-0 record in MIAA play. Last week the team earned wins over Lincoln and Lindenwood. The 16-1 record is one of the best in school history. The team's 8-0 start in MIAA play ties the best start in school history, matching the record of the 2011-12 team. 

The team has won its games by an average of just almost 22 points per game. The 61-point win over Rio-Piedras was the largest of the season, while the four-point win over Kearney was the closest. Pitt State scores 78.7 ppg, while holding opponents to 56.8 ppg. The most points scored by the Gorillas this season were the 106 points against Lincoln last week.

The Gorillas are shooting .449 from the floor overall and .369 from three-point range. The Gorillas make an average of 10.1 threes a game, but are holding opponents to just 3.6 made threes a game. Pitt State is also outrebounding its opponents by 8.9 rpg. 

Mikaela Burgess leads the Gorillas with 16.6 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 49 threes on the season, which leads the MIAA. 

Madison Northcutt, who most recently was named the MIAA Player of the Week, is second on the team with 12.1 ppg, including 14.5 ppg in conference play. She is the team's leading rebounder with 8.5 rpg. She is fourth in the MIAA for rebounding overall and second for offensive rebounds. She has recorded four double-doubles on the season.

Shelby Lopez also averages double figures with 10.1 ppg and has started each of the last eight games. She has made 43 threes this season, which is  third in the MIAA. She recorded her fist 20-point game with 24 points at Northwestern Oklahoma. She made six threes in that game.  

Paige Lungwitz adds 9.4 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 also scored with 9.4 ppg and the second-leading rebounder with 5.8 rebounds per game before a medical condition has put her on the bench. She recorded the first double-double of her career with 15 points and 11 rebounds against UNK. 

Hadyn Herlocker chips in 7.9 ppg and leads the team with 6.3 assists and 2.2 steals per game. Her assists lead the MIAA, while her steals are fourth. Herlocker is also the team's third-leading recbounder with 5.1 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 54-28. However, in recent years the two teams are much more even. Since the 2009-10 season, the two teams are 10-10 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.

    Fourteen of the last 19 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. Washburn

Washburn has a decisive 50-29 lead in the all-time series against the Gorillas. Pitt State broke a 16-game losing streak to the Ichabods with a 94-87 win on Jan. 21, 2009. The Gorillas added another win in the 2009-10, with a 58-57 overtime win in Pittsburg on Jan. 13. Washburn had won seven consecutive games over the Gorillas, with all but one being by double figures, until a 62-49 Gorilla win in PIttsburg to end the 2014 regular season. The Gorillas have now won five straight games over the Ichabods. Prior to the 2009 win Pitt State had not won a game against Washburn since a 69-57 win on Feb. 10, 2001 in Topeka.         

Washburn leads the series 21-17 in Pittsburg, 26-12 in Topeka and 2-0 at neutral sites. The longest streak of wins in the series is Washburn's 16-game streak from Feb. 23, 2002 to Jan. 14, 2009. Pitt State longest win streak was eight games from Jan. 8, 1997 to Jan. 15, 2000.

The biggest margin of victory in the series was 65 points in a Washburn 101-36 win in the very first meeting on Jan .18, 1975. Pitt State's biggest win was the last meeting, last season's 31-point, 88-57 win, in Topeka.