PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University women's basketball team will host its annual Kid's Day game Tuesday (Dec. 10) against the University of Science & Arts. More than 1,900 area elementary and middle school children will attend the contest.
Tipoff against the Drovers is set for 11:30 a.m. (CST) at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court.
Due to the large number of area youth attending the game, only a limited amount of general admission seating will be available to the general public.
Head Coach Amanda Davied
In her seventh year as head coach of her alma mater, Davied owns a 123-59 (.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 Tuesday's action riding an eight game winning streak. The Gorillas are 8-1 overall and 2-0 in MIAA play after opening conference action with a pair of road wins over Central Oklahoma (76-53) and Rogers State (79-58) last week. Pitt State's lone blemish on its record came in a 74-64 season-opening loss to No. 15 Ferris State back on Nov. 2 in the D2CCA Tipoff Classic. The Gorillas are ranked No. 8 in the most recent WBCA/NCAA Division II Top 25 poll. Karenna Gerber leads the team with 16.1 points and 7.8 rebounds a game while shooting a team-best .600 from the field. Macie Mays at 14.8 points a game and .542 percent from the field ranks second among team ranks. Grace Pyle is averaging 12.0 points a game while hauling in 3.7 rebounds and dishing out 2.8 assists a game. Harper Schreiner and Maycee James are tied for the team lead with 3.2 assists per game as James is also averaging a team-best 2.8 steals a game. Schreiner is averaging 8.2 points and 5.6 rebounds, James nightly is averaging 5.8 rebounds and 5.3 points. Savannah Campbell leads the bench unit with 6.6 points a game shooting .478 from the field. Sydney Holmes for the season averages 5.1 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.8 assists a game. Hannah Nilges is the best sharpshooter off the bench going 13-of-30 (.433) this season while averaging 4.9 points and 1.4 rebounds a game.
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 24 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 listed 13th in the initial WBCA/NCAA Division II Coaches Poll and were 13th in the next two installments before jumping up to 8th in the Dec. 3rd release.
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.
USAO Report
Science & Arts of Oklahoma is 6-4 overall, 4-2 in the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC). Last time out for the Drovers they beat John Brown University 65-59 on Saturday (Dec. 7). Evangelia Davlakou leads the team with 14.8 points, 5.4 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.9 steals a game while shooting .909 from free throw attempts this season. Ashley Gonzalez is second on the team and leads the bench unit with 7.2 points a game while shooting .895 from free throws.
Brief Series History Against The Drovers
Tuesday's contest against the Science & Arts will be the 2nd official meeting between the programs, with USAO winning the initial matchup, 86-81 on Dec. 9, 2002
