PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University women's basketball team will return action from the Christmas break with a pair of home games at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court this week. The Gorillas will entertain Tabor College in an exhibition game at 6 p.m. (CST) Wednesday (Dec. 30) and then resume MIAA play with home action against Northwest Missouri State University Saturday (Jan. 2) at 1:30 p.m.

The Pitt State action 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 is 4-3 on the season. The Gorillas claimed their third straight victory, after a 1-3 start to the season, with an emphatic 96-75 home win over Missouri Western State University in their last action on Dec. 17.

Tabor College has posted a 6-5 record to date. The Blue Jays have won two straight games, most recently claiming a 67-60 road decision over Ottawa University on Dec. 17.

Northwest Missouri is 3-2 on the year. The Bearcats have been idle since Dec. 12 when they scored a dramatic last-second, 51-50, road win over Missouri Western.

Head Coach Amanda Davied
Amanda Davied is in her third year as head coach at Pittsburg State after being hired to the position on May 21, 2018.

She has a 42-23 (.646) record leading her alma mater.

Davied guided her alma mater to a berth in the 2018-19 NCAA Division II National Tournament in her debut season, becoming the first Pitt State head coach in program history to enjoy a 20-win season in year one of their tenure. The Gorillas posted a 17-11 record last year.

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 previous 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 (2004-20), the Gorillas have compiled a 325-183 overall record (.640), capturing an MIAA regular season title in 2017 and making six trips to the NCAA Division II National Tournament (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019) 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 Tabor have met three times previously, most recently in an exhibition game on Dec. 31, 2019. The Gorillas defeated the Blue Jays, 78-40, last year.

The Gorillas and Bearcats will meet for the 60th time in program history Saturday. Pitt State holds a 39-20 advantage in the series, including a 22-5 mark in games played in Pittsburg. The Gorillas are riding a 15-game overall winning streak against the Bearcats dating back to the 2012 season.

PSU at Home
Pitt State has posted a 118-29 (.803) record at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court the past 11 seasons, including a 2-1 mark this year.  The Gorillas are 78-18 (.813) at home since the start of the 2014 campaign.

Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State has three players averaging in double figures early in the season:  junior guards Tristan Gegg (17.6 ppg) and Kaylee DaMitz (16.9 ppg) and senior forward Maya Williams (11.3 ppg).  

Gegg is contributing a team-leading 17.6 points as well as 3.1 rebounds per game thus far. She matched her career high in scoring with 31 points on Dec. 10 against Lincoln and was named the MIAA Player of the Week on Dec. 14 for her efforts.

Gegg ranks second in the MIAA in free throw percentage (.938, 30-32) and she ranks fifth in the conference in scoring and tied for fifth in 3-point field goals (2.1 pg) to date.

Gegg averaged 17.9 points and 4.4 rebounds per game in 2019-20, earning third-team All-MIAA honors. She scored 20 or more points 10 times on the year. The Altamont, Kan., native led the MIAA in scoring and free throw percentage (.881, 74-84) and ranked fifth in the conference in 3-point field goals (2.5 pg).

Gegg averaged averaged 8.0 points and 1.8 rebounds per game as a freshman in 2018-19.

She has scored 830 points (13.2 ppg), grabbed 195 rebounds (3.1 rpg) and made 119 3-point field goals in 63 career games.

DaMitz is averaging 16.9 points, 3.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 1.7 steals per game. She currently leads the MIAA in assists and free throw percentage (.941, 32-34) and ranks seventh in the conference in scoring.

DaMitz flirted with a triple-double against MWSU on Dec. 17, scoring 20 points, dishing out 10 assists and grabbing eight rebounds.

DaMitz garnered first-team All-MIAA honors last season. The Skyline, Mo., native averaged 13.8 points, 3.4 rebounds and 5.5 assists per game. She led the MIAA in assists and ranked 13th in the conference in scoring. 

DaMitz, a two-time All-MIAA performer, was the 2018-19 MIAA Freshman of the Year after contributing 8.9 points, 3.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists per game during her rookie campaign.

For her career, DaMitz has scored 756 points (11.8 ppg), grabbed 222 rebounds (3.5 rpg) and dished out 321 assists (5.0 apg) in 64 career games.

Williams is chipping in with 11.3 points and a team-leading 6.2 rebounds per game this season. She scored a season high 19 points vs. NSU (Dec. 5).

Williams averaged 11.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game last season. She posted six double doubles and shot 47.8 percent from the field (96-201) on the year. Williams scored nine points in the season opener against UCO.

The Carthage, Mo., native earned third-team All-MIAA honors as a sophomore in 2018-19 when she averaged a team-leading 11.9 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Williams has scored 774 points (9.0 ppg) and grabbed 422 rebounds (4.9 rpg) in 86 career games for the Gorillas.

Additionally, four players are scoring between 4.7 and 7.4 points per game:  freshman guard Jayme Jackson(7.4 ppg), junior guard Sydnee Crain (5.6 ppg) and junior forwards Dana Johnson (5.4 ppg) and Julia Johnson (4.7 ppg).

Jackson has averaged 7.4 points and 3.4 rebounds per game through her first seven collegiate contests. She posted 12 points and eight rebounds vs. LU on Dec. 10.

Jackson came to Pitt State from Liberty (Mo.) North High School. She was a two-time All-Conference performer and she averaged nine points, three rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.9 steals per game last year. Jackson scored three points and grabbed four rebounds vs. UCO.

Crain is contributing 5.6 points and 2.1 assists per game on the season. She scored a career high 17 points the last time out vs. MWSU (Dec. 17).

Crain started nine games for the Gorillas last year, contributing 5.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game.

The Girard, Kan., native chipped in with 3.4 points and 1.4 assists per game during her rookie season in 2018-19.

She has scored 295 points (4.5 ppg) and dished out 118 assists (1.8 apg) in 65 career games for the Gorillas.

Dana Johnson is contributing 5.4 points and 4.0 rebounds per game and shooting 77.3 percent from the field on the year (17-22). She contributed 10 points and seven rebounds against LU on Dec. 10.

Johnson transferred to Pitt State from Butler Community College. She helped the Grizzlies to a pair of Kansas Jayhawk Conference titles and regional crowns. Johnson averaged 4.1 points and 3.4 rebounds per game during her sophomore campaign.

Julia Johnson has contributed 4.7 points and 5.5 rebounds per game to date. She scored 10 points and grabbed eight rebounds against NSU on Dec. 5.

Johnson averaged 1.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in 25 games played in 2019-20. 

Johnson joined the Gorillas from Johnson County Community College. The DeSoto, Kan., native, averaged 5.8 points and 6.4 rebounds per game while starting 29 of 32 games for the Cavaliers as a redshirt freshman in 2018-19.

Junior guard Erin Davis (2.6 ppg), redshirt freshman forward Shania Wilson(2.3 ppg) and sophomore guard/forward Ashton McCorry (1.7 ppg) also are contributing between 1.7 and 2.6 points per game.

Davis averaged 3.1 points and 1.1 rebounds per game in 17 contests a year ago, while McCorry contributed 2.7 points and 2.5 rebounds per game last year.

Wilson averaged 11.3 points, eight rebounds and eight assists per game as a senior at Bentonville (Ark.) West High School.

Pitt State Probable Starters
  F   1  Maya Williams, 5-10, Sr., Carthage, Mo. 
  F  21  Julia Johnson, 6-1, Jr., DeSoto, Kan.
  G   2  Kaylee DaMitz, 5-5, Jr., Preston, Mo.
  G  10  Tristan Gegg, 5-7, Jr., Altamont, Kan.  
  G  23  Sydnee Crain, 5-8, Jr., Girard, Kan.