PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University women's basketball team will make its home debut this weekend when the Gorillas play host two a pair of NCAA Division II foes.

Pitt State will host Southeastern Oklahoma State University at 11 a.m. (CST) Friday (Nov. 16) at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court with a match-up between the University of Central Missouri and the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith to follow at 3 p.m. On Saturday, the Gorillas will battle UAFS at 1 p.m.

The Gorillas' contests can be heard on ESPN 100.7 FM radio, online at espn1007.com/go or through the ESPN 100.7 or KSHQ app for phones or mobile devices.

The Records
Pitt State brings a 1-1 record into the weekend competition.  The Gorillas split a pair of games at the Central Region Challenge at Kansas City, Mo., Nov. 9-10.

Pitt State claimed a 94-81 victory over Northern State University in its season debut on Nov. 9, before the Gorillas dropped a 66-55 decision to Minnesota State University Moorhead the next day.

Southeastern Oklahoma brings a 1-0 record into Friday's match-up against the Gorillas. The Savage Storm scored a 98-25 season-opening win over Dallas Christian College on Nov. 9.

UAFS is 0-2 heading into its Friday match-up against Central Missouri. The Lions dropped a 53-40 decision to Colorado School of Mines and a 66-59 decision to Colorado Christian College Nov. 9-10 at Golden, Colo.

Head Coach Amanda Davied
Amanda Davied is in her first year as head coach at Pittsburg State after being hired to the position on May 21, 2018. She has a 1-1 record in her short tenure leading the Gorillas.

Davied, who served the previous 14 seasons as the assistant coach for her alma mater, replaced her former mentor, Lane Lord, who accepted the head coach position at NCAA Division I member University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

As the Gorillas top assistant the past 14 years, Davied served as the team's recruiting coordinator and was highly involved in all aspects of the administration of the women's basketball program.

During her tenure on the Pitt State staff (2004-18), the Gorillas have compiled a 283-160 overall record (.639), capturing an MIAA regular season title in 2017 and making five trips to the NCAA Division II National Tournament (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017) including a pair of Elite Eight appearances (2012, 2016).

Davied began her coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Gorilla women's basketball program in the 2003-04 season, after completing a decorated playing career for Pitt State the previous season. She was hired as a full-time assistant in July 2004 by former head coach Steve High and remained to serve as the top assistant on Lord's staff when he took over the program in April 2007.

Series History
Pitt State and SEOSU will meet for just the fourth time Friday. The Savage Storm hold a 2-1 edge, but the Gorillas claimed a 70-57 victory the last time the two squads met on Nov. 22, 2008.

Saturday's action will mark the seventh all-time meeting between Pitt State and UAFS. The series is tied 3-3 with the Lions taking a 58-49 win over the Gorillas in the most recent match-up on Dec. 18, 2017.

Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State has three players averaging in double figures on the young season:  senior guard Maya Williams, freshman guard Kaylee DaMitz and junior forward Meghan Maher.

Williams is averaging a team-leading 12.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game to date.  The Carthage, Mo., native is shooting 39.1 percent from the field (9-23).

She scored a career-high 14 points in the Gorillas' loss to MSU Moorhead and she had a team-leading nine rebounds in the season opener vs. NSU.
Williams scored 3.0 points and grabbed 1.2 rebounds per game as a redshirt freshman in 2017-18.

DaMitz is contributing 12.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game on the young season. The Preston, Mo., native has converted four of six 3-point field goals (.667) to date and she's shooting 85.7 percent from the free throw line (6-7).

She scored 11 points in her Pitt State debut vs. NSU and added 13 points in game two against MSU -M.

DaMitz averaged 21.1 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.8 assists in her senior season at Skyline High School in 2017-18, earning Missouri Class 2A All-State honors. She led the Tigers to the Class 2A state title and claimed Class 2A Player of the Year honors her junior season.

Maher is averaging 10.0 points per game. She is shooting a team-leading .750 from the field to date, knocking down six of eight shots overall. The Raymore, Mo., native also has converted five of six 3-point field goals (.833).

Maher averaged 4.7 points and 1.5 rebounds per game last season. She shot 43.9 percent from the field, converting 50 of 114 attempts.

Maher scored a career-high 21 points against Washburn on March 1, 2018. She knocked down seven of 11 3-point field goal attempts in the game. For the season she made 37 of 90 trifectas (.411).

Additionally, the Gorillas have three players scoring between 8.0 points and 9.0 points per game:  senior guard/forward Shelby Lopez (9.0 ppg), freshman guard Tristan Gegg (8.5 ppg) and junior guard Sydney Tracy (8.0 ppg).

Lopez scored a team-leading 15 points in Pitt State's season opener against NSU, making five of six 3-point field goal attempts. The Wichita native was limited to three points in the loss to MSU-M.

Lopez averaged 11.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game last season. She knocked down 55 of 154 3-point field goal attempts on the season, converting 35.7 percent of her long-range shots.

Lopez scored in double figures 13 times on the season, including a season-high 24 points against Colorado Mines on Nov. 25, 2017.

Lopez contributed 9.2 points per game while earning honorable mention All-MIAA honors as a sophomore 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.

Lopez has scored 777 points (7.9 ppg) and made 164 3-point field goals in 98 career games for the Gorillas. She now ranks fifth in Pitt State history in career 3-point field goals (164) and needs three more triples to pass Alexa Bordewick (2011-14, 166) for fourth place on the list.

Gegg shot 58.3 percent from the field in the Gorillas' first two games, making seven of 12 shots. The Altamont, Kan., native scored 12 points in Pitt State's win vs. NSU.

Gegg averaged 27 points and 5.8 rebounds per game as a senior at Labette County High School. She was a Kansas Class 4A All-State selection for the Grizzlies.

Tracy also enjoyed a solid debut for the Gorillas against the Wolves. The St. Michael, Minn., native scored 13 points and dished out three assists in the season opener. She is averaging 8.0 points and 2.0 assists per game to date.

Junior  forward Athena Alvarado also is contributing 5.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game while shooting 62.5 percent from the field on the young season (5-8).

Alvarado scored 6.7 points and grabbed 3.1 rebounds per game as a sophomore in 2017-18. The Wichita native also blocked 32 shots, ranking eighth in the MIAA in blocked shots (1.1 bpg).

She scored in double figures six times including a career-high 20 points against Central Oklahoma on Jan. 25, 2018.

Alvarado 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.

Pitt State Probable Starters
    F    3    Sydney Tracy, 6-1, Jr., St. Michael, Minn.
    F    15    Athena Alvarado, 6-0, Jr., Wichita, Kan.
    G    2    Kaylee DaMitz, 5-4, Fr., Preston, Mo.  
    G    11    Shelby Lopez, 6-0, Sr., Wichita, Kan.
    G    35    Meghan Maher, 6-0, Jr., Raymore, Mo.