PITTSBURG — For the second time in as many weeks, the Pittsburg State University women's basketball team will travel to Topeka to take part in a four-team classic format tournament hosted by Washburn University.

The Gorillas will face a pair of NCAA Division II foes in Rockhurst University and Southern Nazarene University. Pitt State will battle Rockhurst at 4 p.m. (CST) Friday (Nov. 18) at Lee Arena and take the court against Southern Nazarene Saturday at 1 p.m.

The Records
Pitt State is 2-0 on the young season. The Gorillas posted a pair of hard fought wins over two NCAA Division II Central Region squads last week, downing Oklahoma Baptist, 70-66, and Southwestern Oklahoma, 69-66.

Rockhurst is off to a 1-2 start to the year. The Hawks split a pair of games at the Nexus Classic at Kenosha, Wis., Nov. 11-12, falling to Walsh (80-71) before bouncing back against Wisconsin-Parkside (79-44). RU also dropped a home decision to Upper Iowa, 73-62, Wednesday (Nov. 16).

SNU is 1-2 on the year as well. The Crimson Storm dropped a pair of games to MIAA opponents Nebraska Kearney (75-53) and Fort Hays State (45-43) on Nov. 5-6, before posting a 69-43 home win over Arkansas Fort Smith Wednesday (Nov. 16).

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

She has a 70-42 (.625) 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. She led the Gorillas to a 17-11 overall record in 2019-20, a 14-9 mark in the Covid-19 abbreviated 2020-21 campaign and a 16-13 record last year (2021-22).

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-present), the Gorillas have compiled a 351-202 overall record (.635), 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.

Scouting the Gorillas
Pitt State has four players scoring in double figures early in the season: senior guard Tristan Gegg (15.0 ppg), sophomore forward/center Karenna Gerber (15.0 ppg), freshman guard Harper Schreiner (12.0 ppg) and sophomore guard Grace Pyle (11.5 ppg).

Gegg is averaging 15.0 points and 3.5 rebounds per game through the Gorillas first two contests. The three-time All-MIAA performer is shooting 43.8 percent from 3-point range, making seven of 16 attempts so far.

The Altamont, Kan., native started all 29 games last year, averaging 17.3 points and 3.1 rebounds per game and earning second-team All-MIAA honors for a second straight season. She made an MIAA leading 65 3-point field goals.

Gegg started all 23 games in 2020-21, averaging 15.8 points and 4.3 rebounds and earning second-team All-MIAA honors. She made a team-leading 43 3-point field goals and shot 90.2 percent (83-92) from the free throw line for the season.

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. Gegg 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).

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

Gegg has scored 1,603 points (14.6 ppg), grabbed 370 rebounds (3.4 rpg) and made 219 3-point field goals in 110 career games.

Gerber is contributing 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 64.7 percent from the field (11-17).

Gerber returned for a second year in the program after a highly productive freshman campaign in 2021-22 in which she averaged 7.0 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots per game while shooting a team-best .570 from the field (81-142).

The Halstead, Kan., native ranked sixth in the MIAA in blocked shots and 14th in the conference in rebounding during her rookie campaign. She posted a pair of double doubles on the season.

Gerber was a two-time Kansas Class 3A All-State performer at Halstead High School. She earned All-League honors all four seasons.

Schreiner has made a big splash in her first two games in a Pitt State uniform, averaging 12.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 6.0 assists. She has grabbed a team-leading nine of the Gorillas 33 offensive rebounds so far.

Schreiner signed with the Gorillas out of Eudora High School where she was a three-time Kansas Class 4A All-State performer (2020-22). Schreiner also was selected the 2022 Kansas Class 4A Player of the Year by Sports in Kansas after averaging 18.5 points, 8.6 rebounds, 4.3 assists and 4.8 steals per game for the Cardinals during her senior campaign.

Pyle has chipped in with 11.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game so far. She also has dished out 4.5 assists a game on the young season.

Pyle contributed 7.8 points and 2.1 rebounds in 14 games played last year before suffering a season ending injury. She has converted 22 of 47 (.468) 3-point field goal attempts on the season.

Pyle was named the Kansas Class 5A Player of the Year as a junior in 2019-20 at McPherson High School and she also was a first-team Class 4A All-State selection her senior season.

Senior guard Erin Davis has added 7.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists to the Pitt State stat line.

A fifth-year senior, Davis has started 34 of 83 career games played, scoring 453 points (5.5 ppg) and hitting 86 3-pointers.

The Independence, Mo., native averaged 9.4 points and shot .459 from the field (101-220) while making 49 3-point field goal attempts on the season.

She averaged 4.4 points and 1.6 rebounds per game in 2020-21 and she contributed 3.1 points in 17 games played in 2019-20.

Redshirt sophomore guard Jenna Shipley has averaged 4.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game for the Gorillas.

Shipley contributed 2.9 points and 2.1 rebounds per game last year. The Adrian, Mo., native finished the season third on the team in offensive rebounds (28) and blocked shots (10).

Shipley earned Missouri Class 2A All-State honors in each of her final two prep seasons at Adrian High School. She averaged 28.5 points and 14 rebounds per game as a senior.

Freshman forward Savannah Campbell enjoyed a solid weekend in her Pitt State debut, contributing 3.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Campbell made 50 percent of her field goal attempts (3-6) so far.

Campbell was a two-time Missouri Class 5A All-State performer at Rolla (Mo.) High School. She earned All-District honors three times and All-Conference accolades all four seasons.

Campbell averaged 13.5 points, eight rebounds and three assists per game while helping the Bulldogs to a 22-7 record and a state quarterfinalist finish her senior season.

Redshirt freshman forward Alba Lozano Davila is back for her second season in the Pitt State program after redshirting a year ago. She has averaged 1.0 points and 4.0 rebounds so far.

An international player, Lozano Davila joined the Gorillas from her native Spain where she averaged 16.3 points and 13.8 rebounds for Campus Promete during the 2020-21 season. 

Sophomore guard Sydney Holmes also is back for her second season in the Pitt State program. She is hopeful to take the court this year after an injury suffered in the UMKC exhibition game sidelined her last weekend. The Maize, Kan., native averaged 5.2 points and 4.6 rebounds per game in 2021-22.

Holmes earned Kansas Class 5A All-State recognition in each of her final two prep years at Maize High School.

Redshirt junior center Shayla Kohler and redshirt sophomore guard Emma Martin also saw limited action for the Gorillas in 2021-22.

Kohler, who played in 12 games for the Gorillas in 2021-22, averaged six points, seven rebounds and two assists per game as a senior at Platte County (Mo.) High School.

Martin, who played in 11 games for the Gorillas a year ago, averaged 2.3 points per game on the season and made six of 10 3-point field goal attempts.

She joined the squad from Mountain Home (Ark.) High School. A two-time All-Conference selection, Martin averaged 14.5 points, four rebounds and five assists per game for the Bombers.

The Gorillas also welcome a key newcomer to the squad in graduate transfer guard/forward Nyah Pettus.

Pettus played the past two seasons at Southwest Baptist University. She started all 27 games in 2021-22 for the Bearcats, averaging 8.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Pettus was named to the Great Lakes Valley Conference All-Defensive Team.

The North Little Rock, Ark., native also played two seasons at Three Rivers Community College, averaging 8.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game during her sophomore campaign.

She missed the opening weekend of action for the Gorillas.