PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University women's basketball team will travel to Colorado for a pair of games during the Thanksgiving weekend. The Gorillas will take on Regis University at 6 p.m. (CST) Friday (Nov. 24) at Denver, Colo., and the battle Colorado School of Mines Saturday (Nov. 25) at 6 p.m. at Golden, Colo.

The Records
The Gorillas are 4-0 on the young season.

Pitt State, the 2016-17 MIAA regular season champion, opened its 2017-18 season with a pair of emphatic NCAA Division II Central Region wins over Concordia-St. Paul (80-61) and Minnesota State (84-60) at the Central Region Challenge at Municipal Auditorium at Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 10-11.

The Gorillas followed that up with two more wins at the UCM Classic at Warrensburg, Mo., against Arkansas Fort Smith (78-63) and William Jewell (62-42) on Nov. 18-19.
Regis enters Friday's action against the Gorillas seeking its first win of the season. The Rangers are 0-3 following a home loss to West Texas A&M (58-53) and a pair of losses to Texas Woman's (71-66) and Tarleton State (55-42) on Nov. 18-19 at Denton, Texas.

RU is 0-3 on the young season. The Rangers opened the season dropping a home decision 53-58 to West Texas A&M on Nov.11 followed by a pair of losses against Texas Women's (66-71) and Tarleton State (42-55) Nov. 18-19.

Colorado Mines is 2-2 on the season heading into a Friday match-up against East Central (Okla.). The Orediggers split a pair of games in the Tony Corbetta Classic at Golden, Colo., Nov. 17-18, defeating Central Washington (61-56) before falling to Sioux Falls (54-52) the next night.

Head Coach Lane Lord
Lane Lord is in his 11th year as head women's basketball coach at Pittsburg State University.

Lord has compiled a 212-95 (.691) record in his tenure at Pitt State, including five trips to the NCAA Division II National Tournament and the program's first two Elite Eight appearances. He has led the Gorillas to four straight NCAA Tournament berths (2014-17) and his Pitt State program has averaged 24.7 wins during the past six seasons (2012-17), compiling a 148-43 record.

Lord has been honored as the MIAA Coach of the Year five times (2009, 2012, 2014, 2016, 2017) and he has been selected the NCAA Regional Coach of the Year three times (2009, 2012, 2017).

Friday's action will be Lord's second meeting vs. Regis. He's 1-0 against the Rangers. Lord will meet the Orediggers for the first time Saturday.

Series History
Pitt State and Regis will meet for the second time in program history Friday. The Gorillas posted a 76-57 victory over the Rangers in the only prior meeting on Nov. 20, 2015, at Hays, Kan.

Pitt State and Colorado Mines will meet for the first time Saturday.

Scouting the Gorillas
The Gorillas enter the Thanksgiving action averaging 76.0 points per game and shooting 45.2 percent from the field.

Pitt State has three players scoring in double figures on the young season: senior guard Mikaela Burgess, junior forward Madison Northcutt and senior guard Paige Imhoff.
Burgess is averaging a team-leading 13.5 points per game thus far. She also is contributing 3.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Burgess scored a team-high 21 points in Pitt State's season opening win over Concordia-St. Paul on Nov. 10.

Burgess averaged 16.6 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game as a junior in 2016-17, earning first-team All-MIAA and first-team All-America honors. The Webb City, Mo., native hit 86 3-pointers. She has compiled 1,442 career points and 250 career 3-point field goals.

She led the MIAA in 3-point field goals (86) and ranked fourth in the conference in scoring (16.6 ppg) a year ago. Burgess has averaged 14.1 points in 102 career games for the Gorillas.

Northcutt is contributing 11.0 points and 12.0 rebounds per game thus far. She is shooting 47.2 percent from the field and she leads the squad with 19 offensive rebounds (4.8 pg).

Northcutt averaged 11.3 points and 8.6 points per game a year ago. The Wichita, Kan., native shot a team-best 54.9 percent from the field, making 129 of 235 shots from the floor.

Northcutt ranked fifth in the MIAA in rebounding while earning honorable mention All-MIAA honors. She has averaged 7.2 points and 6.6 rebounds in 70 career games for the Gorillas.

Imhoff has contributed 10.3 points and a team-leading 7.0 assists per game from the point guard position. She also has averaged 3.0 steals per game. Imhoff dished out 11 assists against Minnesota State and she scored a team-leading 16 points against William Jewell.

Imhoff averaged 2.2 points and 2.4 rebounds per game and dished out 38 assists last season. The Smithville, Mo., native has played in 85 career games, averaging 2.4 points per game.

Additionally, Pitt State has three players averaging between 7.3 and 9.5 points per game:  junior guard Shelby Lopez, junior guard/forward Brenlee McPherson and sophomore forward Athena Alvarado.

Lopez is averaging 9.5 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. She has knocked down 10 of 18 3-point field goal attempts early in the season, converting 55.6 percent of her long-range shots.

Lopez contributed 9.2 points per game while earning honorable mention All-MIAA honors in 2016-17. The Wichita native hit 69 3-pointers, shooting a team-leading 38.1 percent from long range (69-181). She ranked third in the MIAA in 3-point field goals.

McPherson is averaging 8.8 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the field (13-30).

McPherson, a Carl Junction, Mo., native shot 45.7 percent from the field last season, averaging 6.4 points per game. She has averaged 4.8 points in 64 career games for the Gorillas.

Alvarado is scoring 7.3 points and grabbing 4.8 rebounds per game on the season. She also has blocked six shots (1.5 bpg).

Alvarado, a Wichita, Kan., native, shot 57.9 percent from the field in her rookie campaign for the Gorillas, converting 81 of 140 shots and scoring 6.2 points per game. She also blocked a team-leading 29 shots on the year.

Redshirt freshman guard Maya Williams and sophomore guard Meghan Maher both are averaging 5.0 points per game thus far.

Recent Action: Pitt State 78, UAFS 63
Pitt State built a 21-point cushion by halftime and the Gorillas cruised to a 78-63 victory over  Arkansas Fort Smith in the UCM Classic on Nov. 18.

Athena Alvarado and Madison Northcutt both posted double-doubles to pace the Pitt State attack. Northcutt finished with game highs of 14 points and 12 rebounds, while Alvarado added 14 points and 10 boards. Brenlee McPherson also added 11 points for the Gorillas, while Paige Imhoff scored nine points, dished out seven assists and added six steals.

Pitt State held UAFS to 34.3 percent shooting (23-67) in the contest and the Gorillas forced the Lions into 20 turnovers.

Recent Action: Pitt State 62, WM. Jewell 42
Paige Imhoff scored a team-leading 16 points to help pace Pitt State to a 62-42 win over William Jewell in the UCM Classic on Nov. 19.

Imhoff led three Pitt State players in double figures as the Gorillas pulled away in the second half for the lopsided win over the Cardinals. Shelby Lopez added 15 points and Mikaela Burgess chipped in with 10 points for the Gorillas.

Pitt State won the game going away despite shooting just 36.4 percent from the field (20-55) and 57.7 percent from the free throw line (15-26).

The Gorillas defense limited WJC to 33.3 percent shooting from the floor (18-54) and Pitt State outscored the Cardinals, 15-4, at the free throw line.

Pitt State Probable Starters
    F    4    Athena Alvarado, 6-0, So., Wichita, Kan.
    F    32    Madison Nortcutt, 5-11, Jr., Wichita, Kan.
    G    11    Shelby Lopez, 6-0, Jr., Wichita, Kan.
    G    14    Paige Imhoff, 5-10, Sr., Smithville, Mo.  
    G    15    Mikaela Burgess, 5-7, Sr., Webb City, Mo.