PITTSBURG – Pittsburg State returns to MIAA play this week, this time traveling to St. Joseph, Mo. to take on Missouri Western on January 5 at 5:30 p.m. and to Maryville, Mo. for a 1:30 p.m. game against the Northwest Missouri Bearcats. 

MIssouri Western is one of five teams in the league tied for third with a 3-1 record. Northwest Missouri is one of three teams that have yet to win a conference game. Pitt State sits atop the MIAA standings with a 4-0 record, though they are not the only undefeated league team. Central Missouri is 3-0 in conference play.

Ticket Specials

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. This package can be purchased in person or by calling the PSU ticket office at (620) 235-4796.

Scouting Missouri Western

Missouri Western starts 2017 with an 11-2 overall record and a 3-1 record in MIAA play. The team's two losses came at the hand of Minnesota State, 65-54, and Central Missouri, 66-58. Most recently, the Griffons handed Central Oklahoma its first loss of the season, 67-57, on December 31 in Edmond.

The Griffons average 73.8 ppg, while holding opponents to 55.0. The team shoots .441 from the floor overall and .350 from three-point range. MWSU makes 7.6 threes a game. The team has only a 1.1 rpg advantage over its opponents, 35.1 to 34.0. It averages13.0 turnovers a game while forcing 22.8. 

Two players average double figures for Missouri Western. Dwanisha Tate is the leader with 12. 3 ppg. Chelsea Dewey adds 12.2 pg and also leads the team in assists with 4.6 apg. Julia Torres is the team's top rebounder with 7.2 rpg and also adds 9.3 ppg. She leads the team with 13 blocks on the season. Savannah Lentz is the top three-point shooter, as she has made 28 threes on the season and hits at a .475 average from long range.  

Scouting Northwest Missouri

Northwest Missouri is 5-6 overall and 0-4 in MIAA play. So far it has faced Central Oklahoma, Missouri Western, Central Missouri and Northeastern State in league play. The Bearcats will play Missouri Southern on Thursday before playing the Gorillas on Saturday. Thursday's game will be Northwest Missouri's first game since December 17. 

The Bearcats average 66.3 ppg, while opponents score 64.5 ppg. They shoot .441 from the floor and .398 from three-point range. The team makes 8.7 threes per game. Northwest Missouri pulls down 36.5 rebounds per game, 3.7 rpg more than opponents.

Tanya Meyer is the league's top scorer with 20.4 ppgs. She nearly averages a double-double with 9.7 rpg. Jasmin Howe adds 14.7 ppg and is the tean's top three-point shooter with 29 threes on the season and a .439 three-point shooting percentage. Macy Williams dishes out 5.1 assists per game for the Bearcats.

Scouting Pittsburg State

Pittsburg State is the No. 6 team in the country with an 12-1 record overall and a 4-0 record in MIAA play. Last week the team suffered its fist loss of the season to then No. 5 Emporia State 78-70. The team rebounded with a 94-62 win over Northwestern Oklahoma.

The team has won its games by an average of just over 24 points per game. he 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 78.2 ppg, while holding opponents to 56.4 ppg.

The Gorillas are shooting .451 from the floor overall and .395 from three-point range. The Gorillas make an average of 10.7 threes a game, but 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 17.6 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 40 threes on the season, which leads the MIAA. Shelby Lopez is the team's second leading scorer with 11.0 pg, most of them coming off the bench though she did start the last four games. She has made 37 threes this season, which is  second in the MIAA. She recorded her fist 20-point game with 24 points at Northwestern Oklahoma. She made six threes in that game. Madison Northcutt also averages double figures with 10.4 ppg and is the team's leading rebounder with 8.1 rpg. She has recorded two double-doubles this season, most recently a 22-point, 16-rebound performance at Northwestern Oklahoma. 

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 8.2 ppg and leads the team with 6.5 assists and 2.5 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. 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 52-23, including a 19-16 record in Pittsburg, a 29-7 mark in St. Joseph and a 3-0 record a neutral sites. The two team's split meetings last season with each team winning on its home court. Pitt State has won three of the last four games and five of the last six have been determined by single digits.

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 32-20. Pitt State leads 19-5 in Pittsburg and the series tied 12-12 in Maryville. Northwest leads on neutral sites, 3-1.

Pitt State has won each of the last eight 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 longest streak of  wins in the series by either team is Pitt State's current eight-game win streak. 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, 2013  was the lowest scoring affair in series history, with Pitt State  winning 51-44.