Women's Basketball | 11/28/2017 10:25:00 PM

PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University women's basketball team will open Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association play with a pair of road games against the University of Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State University. The Gorillas will open defense of their 2016-17 MIAA Regular Season Championship by facing UNK Thursday (Nov. 30) at 5:30 p.m. (CST) at Kearney, Neb., and then taking on FHSU Saturday (Dec. 2) at Hays, Kan., at 2 p.m.

The Records
The Gorillas are off to an unblemished 6-0 start to the season and ranked No. 19 in this weeks WBCA/NCAA Division II Top 25 poll.

Pitt State 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.

Pitt State extended its winning streak with a pair of road wins in Colorado over Regis (73-61) and Colorado Mines (60-50) last weekend.

UNK enters Thursday's action with an unbeaten 6-0 record. The Lopers posted a 59-34 home win over Bethel College in their most recent action Nov. 25.

FHSU also in unbeaten heading into a Thursday home match-up against MSSU.  The Tigers, who are 5-0 on the year, posted a 90-48 win over Sterling College in their most recent action Nov. 25.

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 214-95 (.693) 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).

Thursday's action will be Lord's 10th meeting vs. UNK. He's 9-0 against the Lopers. Lord will meet FHSU for the first 20th time Saturday. He's 13-6 against the Tigers.

Series History
Pitt State and UNK will meet for the 37th time in program history Thursday. The Gorillas hold a 24-12 advantage in the series, including 12 straight wins.

Pitt State and FHSU will meet for the 54th time in program history Saturday. The Gorillas hold a 27-26 advantage in the competitive series. The Gorillas posted a 70-58 victory over the Tigers in the only meeting last year on Dec. 3, 2016.
 
Scouting the Gorillas
The Gorillas enter the MIAA opening weekend of action averaging 72.8 points per game and shooting 41.9 percent from the field.

Pitt State has three players scoring in double figures on the young season: senior guard Mikaela Burgess (14.5 ppg), junior guard Shelby Lopez (10.7 ppg) and senior guard Paige Imhoff (10.3 ppg).

Burgess is averaging a team-leading 14.5 points per game thus far. She also is contributing 2.7 rebounds and 2.2 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 1,475 career points and 257 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 14.2 points in 104 career games for the Gorillas.

Lopez is averaging 10.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. She has knocked down 14 of 27 3-point field goal attempts early in the season, converting 51.9 percent of her long-range shots. Lopez would lead the MIAA in 3-point field goal percentage but does meet the minimum requirement to qualify for a ranking.

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.

Imhoff has contributed 10.3 points and an MIAA-leading 6.2 assists per game from the point guard position. She also has averaged 2.7 steals per game, ranking third in the MIAA in that category. Imhoff dished out 11 assists against Minnesota State (Nov. 11) and she scored a career-high 19 points against Regis (Nov. 24).

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 87 career games, averaging 2.6 points per game.

Additionally, Pitt State has three players averaging between 6.5 and 9.2 points per game:  junior forward Madison Northcutt (9.2 ppg), junior guard/forward Brenlee McPherson (8.2 ppg) and sophomore forward Athena Alvarado (6.5 ppg).

Northcutt is contributing 9.2 points and 12.2 rebounds per game thus far, ranking second in the MIAA in rebounding. She is shooting 45.7 percent from the field and she leads the squad with 24 offensive rebounds (4.0 pg).

Northcutt averaged 11.3 points and 8.6 rebounds 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 6.8 rebounds in 72 career games for the Gorillas.

McPherson is averaging 8.2 points and 5.0 rebounds per game while shooting 42.5 percent from the field (17-40). She leads the MIAA in free throw percentage to date (.938, 15-16).

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 6.5 points and grabbing 4.2 rebounds per game on the season. She also has blocked nine shots, ranking fourth in the MIAA in blocked 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 (4.7 ppg) and sophomore guard Meghan Maher (3.3 ppg) both are averaging more than three points a game.

Recent Action: Pitt State 73, RU 61
Mikaela Burgess and Paige Imhoff combined for 41 points to lead Pitt State to a 73-61 victory over Regis on Nov. 24.

The Gorillas led from start to finish in the contest against the Rangers. Pitt State built a 16-point cushion, 49-33, with 5:30 to play in the third quarter.

Regis got as close as seven points, 67-60, with 4:37 to play in the game, but the Gorillas limited the Rangers to one point down the stretch including keeping Regis scoreless over the final 3:40.

Burgess led all scorers with 22 points, including a team-leading five 3-pointers. Imhoff added a career-high 19 points, eight rebounds and five assists in the contest. Brenlee McPherson also finished in double figures with 10 points.

Majestie Robinson scored a team-leading 18 points for the Rangers, while Chante Church added 11.

Recent Action: Pitt State 60, Colorado Mines 50
Shelby Lopez scored a game high 24 points to help lead Pitt State to a 60-50 road win over Colorado Mines on Nov. 25.

The Gorillas overcame a 28 percent shooting night by holding the Orediggers to a nearly identical shooting percentage in the contest. Pitt State made just 17 of 60 shots from the floor, but the Gorillas held CSM to 19 of 68 shooting. Pitt State made eight 3-pointers to three by the Orediggers and the Gorillas outscored their foes, 18-9, at the foul line.

Lopez converted six of eight shots from the floor, including four of six from 3-point range. She also made eight of 10 free throws. Mikaela Burgess added 11 points for the Gorillas, while Madison Northcutt finished with seven points and a game-high 14 rebounds.

Elizabeth Tomon scored a team-leading 11 points for the Orediggers while Nicole Archambeau also scored in double figures with 10 points.

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.