PITTSBURG – The Pittsburg State University women's basketball team will usher in the New Year by opening a two-game MIAA home stand this week.

The Gorillas, ranked No. 14 in the latest WBCA NCAA Division II Top 25 poll, will entertain Arkansas-Fort Smith Thursday (Jan. 2) at 5:30 p.m. (CST) at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court. Pitt State will then play host to Northeastern State Saturday (Jan. 4) at 3:30 p.m.

The Gorillas are 10-2 overall and 2-0 in MIAA play. Pitt State split a pair of games Dec. 19-20 at the at the Nova Southeastern Holiday Invitational at Fort Lauderdale, Fla.

Head Coach Amanda Davied
In her seventh year as head coach of her alma mater, Davied owns a 125-60 (.676) record. During her tenure as head coach, she has guided the Gorillas to the Division II National Tournament three times (2024, 2023 & 2019) with her debut season marking the first coach in program history to guide the Gorillas to a 20-win season. Davied has deep ties to the program first as a player (1999-03), graduate assistant (2003-04) and assistant coach (2004-18) while serving as the lead assistant from 2007-18 for current Division I, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV), head coach Lane Lord.

A Peek at The Gorillas
Pitt State enters the weekend at 10-2 overall and 2-0 in the MIAA. The Gorillas, ranked No. 14 in the most recent WBCA/NCAA Division II Top 25 poll, have won nine out of the last ten games and are 3-0 at home so far. Last time out for the Gorillas against Colorado Mesa (Dec. 20) to conclude the NSU Holiday Invitational, Pitt State claimed a 95-81 win behind five double-digit scorers. Karenna Gerber leads the team with 15.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a game while shooting .583 from the field and .898 from free throw attempts. Macie Mays is second on the team with 14.9 points a game and is shooting .568 from the field along with shooting .844 from free throws. Grace Pyle averages 14.1 points, 3.8 rebounds and 2.7 made three's a game going 32-of-95 from deep. Maycee James leads the team in assists (4.0) and steals per game (2.4); Harper Schreiner is second on the team for assists (3.8) and steals per game (1.0) while averaging 7.3 points a game. Savannah Campbell leads the bench unit with 7.2 points a game while shooting .532 from the field in 13.3 minutes.

KG Demonstrates Greatness Nightly
Senior forward Karenna Gerber is a consistent presence on both ends of the floor with her effort and talent being on full display over her career. She ranks first in career double-doubles (26) at Pittsburg State, second in field goal percentage among qualified shooters (.585), second in rebounds (724), third in blocks per game (1.51) and blocks (157), sixth in rebounds per game (6.9), 10th for free throws attempted (422) and made (318), 12th in points (1,368) and 13th for field goals made (525).

GP Chasing After Legends
Senior guard Grace Pyle has proven over the past two seasons to be one of the better shooters in the MIAA and figures to be in contention to be recognized as one of the best shooters in the conference this campaign. For her career, the McPherson, Kan., native ranks fifth in team ranks for made three-pointers (199) passing Drew Roberts (2009-13) against Arkansas Tech (Nov. 27). Pyle is also 16th in points scored (1,210) with Terry Barto (1984-87) at 1,226 next to be surpassed. Already the sixth Gorilla to accomplish back-to-back 50 or more made three-pointers in a season, Pyle is gunning to join Jenni Miller (1994-97), Mikaela Burgess (2015-18), Shelby Lopez (2017-19) and Tristan Gegg (2020, 22-23) as Gorillas to accomplish the feat in three seasons.

Schreiner's Game
Junior guard Harper Schreiner has specialized in assists and steals through 75 career games for the Gorillas. Schreiner so far has dished out 312 assists and recorded 111 steals to be ninth in career assists charts and tied for 27th for steals. Last season the Eudora, Kan., native dished out 139 assists and nabbed 54 steals to lead the team in each category. Against Central Missouri (Feb. 7, 2024) she became the fourth player in program history to record 100 assists seasons as a freshman and sophomore (Amanda Davied, Kaylee DaMitz & Leslie Dudley) and the eighth time overall a player had back-to-back 100 assists seasons. This season, Schreiner at Rogers State (Dec. 7) recorded the first seven steal game in program history since Megan Ripperton did so against New Mexico Highlands (Dec. 4, 2004). Schreiner is now one of 15 individuals in program history to record a seven or more steal performance in a game.

M&M Express
Sophomore guard/forward Macie Mays had one of the better freshman campaigns in Pitt State history last season finishing the season averaging 11.2 points and grabbing 3.3 rebounds while shooting .534 from the field and .419 from three. This season she is elevating her game with averages of 14.9 points, 3.6 rebounds and 1.3 assists a game while shooting .568 from the field (71-of-125) and is 27-of-32 from free throws (.844).

What's Up Holmes
Senior guard Sydney Holmes successfully completed her first season in the starting lineup last campaign and looks to put together another solid year for the Gorillas as a senior. For her career, Holmes has appeared in 102 games with 590 points scored, 434 rebounds corralled and 136 assists dished out while shooting .445 from the field.

Savy In The Paint
Junior forward Savannah Campbell gained valuable experience in her sophomore campaign that has helped her lead the charge off the bench this season. The Rolla, Mo., native is averaging a team-best 7.2 points a game off the bench, going 33-of-62 from the field (.532).

Nilges The Marksmen
Senior guard Hannah Nilges introduced herself to the Pitt State faithful with a career-day against the Southern Nazarene University Crimson Storm (Nov. 3), going 6-of-8 from three for a career-high 20 points. This season she is 13-of-31 from deep (.419) ranking second on the team in makes and attempts. The Jefferson City, Mo., native spent her first three collegiate seasons at Division I Drake University where she appeared in 44 games as a Bulldog.

MJ Is Everywhere
This season the junior guard from Goddard, Kan., Maycee James has showcased multiple impactful performances on both ends of the court. Against Northwestern Oklahoma (Nov. 21) she finished with 10 assists, seven rebounds, six steals and six assists. It marked the third time in the last five years a Gorilla finished a game with 10 assists joining Harper Schreiner (at Lincoln, Dec. 18, 2023) and Kaylee DaMitz (vs. Missouri Western, Dec. 17, 2020). The six steals were also the most since Paige Imhoff collected as many steals vs. Arkansas-Fort Smith (Nov. 18, 2017). This season she is up to 48 assists, 29 steals and six blocks.

Clara From Three
Freshman guard Clara Swearingen against SNU (Nov. 3) went 2-of-2 from three-point range for her first collegiate points, she has also made two three-pointers in three games this season. So far this season she is 7-of-20 from three-point attempts (.350). The Nevada, Mo., native averaged 23 points a game on her way to Conference Player of the Year honors last school year at Nevada H.S.

Gerber Becomes Double-Double Queen
With her first double-double of the 2024-25 season against Ferris State, senior Karenna Gerber set a team record for double-doubles in a career. The Haltstead, Kan., native passed PSU Hall of Famer LaTonya (McGee) Mekha (1983-86) with her 22nd career double-double against the Bulldogs. To date, Gerber has 26 career double-doubles.

Polls And Scrolls
The Gorillas, the preseason No. 1 pick in the 2024-25 MIAA Coaches Poll, posted a 24-8 record (15-7 MIAA) a year ago. Pitt State captured the MIAA Postseason Tournament crown and advanced to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. This season the Gorillas were also listed 13th in the initial WBCA/NCAA Division II Coaches Poll and the next two releases before being positioned in eighth in the last three poll updates.

Trio Named All-MIAA
Last season Pitt State had three named to the All-MIAA teams in Karenna Gerber, Grace Pyle and Harper Schreiner. Gerber and Pyle were first-team representatives and the only duo to be listed in the first, second or third teams among the association. Schreiner was an honorable mention for the second year in a row.

Another Trip To The Big Dance
In the Gorillas 35 years of competing at the Division II level the women's basketball team has qualified for 13 National Tournament appearances. In those 13 appearances, Pitt State is 9-13 (.409) with two Elite Eight appearances in 2012 and 2016.

A Long Time Coming
For the first time in program history the Gorillas won the MIAA Tournament in 2024 after finishing as runners up in 2016 and 1992. Pittsburg State is a three-time MIAA regular season champion claiming the title in the 2016-17, 1995-96 and 1991-92 seasons.

Lions Report
Arkansas-Fort Smith enters the new year with an 8-3 overall record and is 2-0 to begin conference play. In their inaugural season as a MIAA member school, the Lions are 1-2 on the road this season with a 66-65 loss at Ouachita Baptist (Dec. 21) in their last game of 2024. Picked to finish 12th in the MIAA Preseason Coaches and Media Poll the Lions are led by Ryan McAdams in his fourth season with a 36-57 (.387) record leading UAFS. Anna Trusty leads the team with 13.7 points a game while ranking second on the team with 6.7 rebounds nightly. Morgan Browning averages 12.7 points a game while going 44-of-60 from free throws (.733) to lead the team in makes and attempts from the charity stripe. Zyniah Thomas leads the team with 3.1 assists and 1.8 steals a game, adding in 9.4 points and 4.4 rebounds a game. Sinetra Jones is the team leader with 7.2 rebounds a game, adding in 9.3 points and 1.5 blocks. As a team, UAFS is shooting .287 from three but limits opponents to shooting .267 from distance.

UAFS Series History
Thursday's contest will mark the eighth time these two teams will meet and the first as conference foes. Pitt State owns a 4-3 advantage in the series with a pristine 3-0 record at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court. In the last matchup on Nov. 17, 2018 the Gorillas won 79-57 behind double-double performances from Athena Alvarado and Shelby Lopez.

RiverHawks Scout
Northeastern State plays Kansas Wesleyan on Tuesday (Dec. 31) before beginning the 2025 slate of their season against the Gorillas. Heading into the matchup against the Coyotes of KWU, the RiverHawks are 5-6 overall, 1-2 in the MIAA and 0-4 on the road. Picked to finish 10th in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll and 11th in the Media Poll, NSU is under the direction of second year head coach Keith Ferguson who is 19-21 leading the RiverHawks. Alex Hill leads the team with 13.1 points and 2.2 steals a game. Courtney Lee averages 11.2 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds a game. Grace Abercrombie leads the team with 2.2 assists a game while adding in 8.0 points and 4.0 rebounds. Deyana Douglas is averaging 9.2 points and 4.6 rebounds nightly off the bench. As a team, NSU is shooting .393 from the field, .245 from three-point attempts and .642 from free throws to rank 11th in field goal percentage, 12th in free throw percentage and 14th in three-point percentage among MIAA ranks.

NSU Series History
Saturday's contest will mark the 39th contest between the two universities. The Gorillas have a 27-11 advantage in the series, with a 17 game winning streak that began on Feb. 16, 2013 in Pittsburg. In the last matchup, an 82-72 decision the Gorillas were led by Macie Mays with 25 points and a double-double from Karenna Gerber.