PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University women's basketball team will ride an eight-game winning streak into the final week of the regular season schedule as the Gorillas face a Tuesday (Feb. 20) road game against Missouri Southern State University and a Saturday (Feb. 24) home game against No. 9 University of Central Missouri.

Pitt State will face MSSU at 5:30 p.m. (CST) Tuesday at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center at Joplin, Mo., and the Gorillas will return home to battle MIAA leader UCM at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.

The Records
The Gorillas enter Tuesday's action with a 21-5 overall record and a 14-3 mark in MIAA play.  Pitt State has won eight straight games to secure sole possession of second place in the conference standings. The Gorillas trail UCM by two games in the standings.

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 opened the season with six straight wins before the defending MIAA regular season champions dropped a hard fought 97-97 overtime decision to Nebraska-Kearney in the MIAA opener on Nov. 30.

Pitt State has won 10 of its last 11 games dating back to a 79-56 home win over Missouri Western on Jan. 3.

MSSU is 11-14 overall and 8-9 in the MIAA play. The Lions, who are eighth in the conference standings, dropped an 79-73 road loss to Northwest Missouri last Saturday (Feb. 17) at Maryville, Mo.

UCM is 22-2 overall, 16-1 in MIAA play and ranked No. 9 in the most recent WBCA/NCAA Division II Top 25 poll. The Jennies can clinch the MIAA regular season title with a home game against MSSU Thursday (Feb. 22).

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 229-100 (.696) 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 24.1 wins during the past seven seasons (2012-18), compiling a 169-48 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).

Tuesday's action will be Lord's 21st meeting vs. MSSU. He has a 14-6 record agaisnt the Lions. He will face UCM for the 21st time as well Saturday and bring a 12-8 slate against the Jennies into the contest.

Series History
Tuesday's action will be the 91th all-time meeting between the Gorillas and Lions. Pitt State holds a 49-41 advantage in the series, including an 86-66 victory on Feb. 3 at John Lance Arena.

Shelby Lopez scored a team-leading 18 points in the Gorillas victory over the Lions. Mikaela Burgess (15), Brenlee McPherson (13) and Madison Northcutt (10) also scored in double figures for Pitt State.  

The Gorillas and Jennies will meet for the 56th time Saturday. UCM holds a slight 30-25 advantage in the series, but the Gorillas handed the Jennies their first MIAA loss of the season with a 68-63 decision on Feb. 7 at Warrensburg.

Burgess scored a team-leading 20 points in the win, while Meghan Maher came off the bencth to score 14 key second-half points to help knock off the Jennies.

Scouting the Gorillas
The Gorillas enter Tuesday's action averaging 74.2 points per game and shooting 44.2 percent from the field.

Pitt State has four players scoring in double figures on the season: senior guard Mikaela Burgess (16.0 ppg), junior guard/forward Shelby Lopez (11.0 ppg), senior guard Paige Imhoff (10.0 ppg) and junior guard Brenlee McPherson (10.0 ppg).

Burgess is averaging a team-leading 16.0 points per game. She also is contributing 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. Burgess, who ranks ninth in the MIAA in scoring, scored a team-high 21 points in Pitt State's season opening win over Concordia-St. Paul on Nov. 10 and she posted 31 points in the Gorillas' OT loss to Nebraska-Kearney Nov. 30.

Burgess was named the MIAA Player of the Week Feb. 12 after averaging 23.0 points in a pair of victories by the Gorillas.  She scored 26 points and hit seven 3-pointers against SBU on Feb. 10 to break into NCAA Division II's all-time top 25 list for career 3-point field goals. She now has 321 career 3-pointers to rank in a tie for 20th place.

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, leading the MIAA in 3-point field goals and ranking fourth in the conference in scoring.

She has compiled 1,803 career points and 321 career 3-point field goals.Burgess, who ranks as the fifth-highest leading active scorer in NCAA Division II this season, has averaged 14.5 points in 124 career games for the Gorillas. She needs seven points to climb into third place on Pitt State's career scoring list (Jenni Miller, 1809 pts, 1994-97).

Lopez is averaging 11.0 points and 3.3 rebounds per game. She has knocked down 48 of 131 3-point field goal attempts on the season, converting 36.6 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.

Lopez has scored 714 points (7.7 ppg) and made 151 3-point field goals in 92 career games for the Gorillas.

Imhoff has contributed 10.0 points and an MIAA-leading 5.9 assists per game from the point guard position. She also has averaged 2.2 steals per game, ranking second in the MIAA in that category.

Imhoff posted her first career double double with 15 points and 11 assists against Lindenwood on Jan. 13. She also 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 113 career games, averaging 3.9 points per game.

McPherson is averaging 10.0 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while shooting 45.9 percent from the field (90-196). She also leads the team in free throw percentage (.823, 51-62).

McPherson, a Carl Junction, Mo., native, shot 45.7 percent from the field last season, averaging 6.4 points per game. She averaged 17.5 points and 5.5 rebounds while making her first two starts of the season Dec. 7-9. She has averaged 6.1 points in 84 career games for the Gorillas.

Additionally, Pitt State has two players averaging between 7.3 and 8.9 points per game: junior forward Madison Northcutt (8.9 ppg) and sophomore forward Athena Alvarado (7.3 ppg).

Northcutt is contributing 8.9 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, ranking third in the MIAA in rebounding. She is shooting 53.9 percent from the field and she leads the squad with 68 offensive rebounds (2.7 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 7.5 points and 7.0 rebounds in 91 career games for the Gorillas.

Alvarado is scoring 7.3 points and grabbing 3.3 rebounds per game on the season. She also has blocked 31 shots, ranking seventh in the MIAA in blocked shots (1.2 bpg). She scored a career-high 20 points against Central Oklahoma (Jan. 25).

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.

Sophomore guard Meghan Maher (4.3 ppg), redshirt freshman guard Maya Williams (3.0 ppg) and junior forward Elena Flott (2.8 ppg) also have been key contributors for the Gorillas.

Pitt State Probable Starters
    F    23    Brenlee McPherson, 5-11, Jr., Carl Junction, Mo.
    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.