PITTSBURG – The Pittsburg State University women's basketball team will host Rogers State University and the University of Central Oklahoma this week.
 
Ranked No. 12 in the latest WBCA NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll, the Gorillas will host Rogers State Wednesday (Jan. 15) at 5:30 p.m. (CST). Pitt State will conclude the weekend by hosting Central Oklahoma on Saturday (Jan. 18) at 3:40 p.m. at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court. The Gorillas action will follow the Pitt State men's matchup against the Bronchos that will tip off at 1:40 p.m. as the MIAA TV Game of the Week.

Head Coach Amanda Davied
In her seventh year as head coach of her alma mater, Davied owns a 129-60 (.683) 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 14-2 overall and 6-0 in the MIAA. The Gorillas, ranked No. 12 in the most recent WBCA/NCAA Division II Top 25 poll (Jan. 14), have won nine out of the last ten games and are 6-0 at home so far. Last time out for the Gorillas against Newman (Jan. 9), Pitt State claimed a 77-50 win on the road as Savannah Campbell (18), Harper Schreiner (15) and Karenna Gerber (12) were the leading scorers. Gerber leads the team with 16.5 points and 8.7 rebounds a game while shooing .605 from the field and .907 from free throws. Mays averages 15.5 points and 3.9 rebounds a game while shooting .556 from the field and .850 from free throws. Grace Pyle is the sharpshooter on the team while averaging 14.2 points and 4.0 rebounds a game, Pyle is 42-of-117 (.359) from three this season. Harper Schreiner and Maycee James stuff the stat sheet as an all-action backcourt duo. Schreiner averages 8.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.3 steals a game, James averages 5.6 rebounds, 5.4 points, 4.0 assists and 2.4 steals a game. Savannah Campbell leads the bench unit with 7.3 points a game while shooting .500 from the field. As a team, the Gorillas average 81.6 points a game while shooting .483 from the field, .363 from three and .775 from free throws.
 
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 (29) at Pittsburg State, second in field goal percentage among qualified shooters (.588), second in rebounds (766), third in blocks (159) and blocks per game (1.47), fourth in rebounds per game (7.1), tied for sixth in free throws made (342), seventh in free throws attempted (448), 11^th in points (1,448) and 12^th in field goals made (553).

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 (209) needing two more to pass Shelby Lopez (2015-19). Pyle is also 14th in points scored (1,268) with Jenny Pracht (1993-96) at 1,302 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 79 career games for the Gorillas. Schreiner so far has dished out 336 assists and recorded 119 steals to be eighth in career assists charts and 24^th 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 15.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 1.3 assists a game while shooting .556 from the field (99-of-178) and is 34-of-40 from free throws (.850). Mays this season recorded a career-high with 30 points against Northeastern State (Jan. 4) going a school record 10-of-10 from the field, 4-of-4 from three and 6-of-6 from free throws.

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 106 games with 608 points scored, 447 rebounds corralled and 149 assists dished out while shooting .442 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 7.3 points a game off the bench, going 42-of-84 from the field (.500).

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 17-of-42 from deep (.405) ranking third among team ranks for attempts and makes. 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.

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 29 career double-doubles.
 
Back-To-Back MIAA AOW's
Senior forward/center Karenna Gerber was named the MIAA Women's Basketball Athlete of the Week for the second week in a row (Jan. 13) after helping lead the Gorillas to a 6-0 start to the MIAA slate. Gerber in MIAA action is contributing 18.8 points and 9.2 rebounds a game while shooting .651 from the field and .939 from free throws to rank within the top-three in each category.

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 first three WBCA/NCAA Division II Coaches Poll of the season before being positioned in eighth in the next three poll updates, currently Pitt State is ranked 12^th in the latest poll (Jan. 14).

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.

Hillcats Scout
Rogers State is 7-8 overall and 1-5 in the MIAA while going 1-5 on the road this season so far. The Hillcats are led by Ella Hafer who is averaging 13.2 points and 8.0 rebounds a game. As a team the Hillcats average 64.3 points a game while holding opponents to 57.0 points nightly, from three-point attempts RSU has converted on .280 of their attempts but opponents are converting on .247 from deep to rank 20^th in DII.

RSU Series History
Wednesday's contest will mark the ninth meeting all-time, with Pitt State owning a 6-2 advantage and winning three straight. The Gorillas claimed a 79-58 win at Claremore, Okla., Dec. 7^th behind four scoring in double figures.

Chos Report
Central Oklahoma heads into the week with a 4-11 overall record (3-3 MIAA) record while going 1-7 on the road. The Bronchos are led by Korie Allensworth with 13.6 points and 5.9 rebounds a game while shooing .833 from free throws. Jordyn Turner averages 12.5 points and a team-high 8.5 rebounds a game while shooting .504 from the field. LaKysia Johnson leads the bench unit with 11.7 points a game and is shooting .540 from the field. Talia Pogi averages 10.1 points and 2.1 assists a game while shooting .319 from three-point attempts. As a team, the Bronchos average 63.9 points, giving up 73.1 points to opponents while shooting .308 from three as opponents are shooting .350 from distance.

UCO Series History
Saturday's contest will mark the 41^st meeting between the two universities. Currently on a five-game winning streak, Pitt State claimed the contest earlier this season, 76-53, on Dec. 4^th as five Gorillas scored in double figures.

MIAA Win Leaderborard (Since 1989-90 season) As of Jan. 12
1. Central Missouri *, 440-214 (.673)
2. Washburn *, 437-216 (.669)
3. Emporia State *, 421-199 (.679)
4. Pittsburg State *, 409-243 (.627)
5. Missouri Western *, 382-270 (.586)
6. Missouri Southern *, 329-324 (.504)
7. Northwest Missouri *, 272-380 (.417)
8. Fort Hays State *, 238-127 (.652)
9. Southwest Baptist ^, 229-391 (.369)
10. Nebraska-Kearney *, 143-105 (.577)
11. Truman State &, 141-280 (.335)
12. Central Oklahoma *, 119-128 (.482)
13. Missouri S&T %, 88-180 (.328)
14. Northeastern State *, 74-174 (.298)
15. Lincoln (Mo.) @#, 56-373 (.131)
16. Lindenwood ^, 47-88 (.348)
17. Southeast Missouri ?, 40-6 (.870)
18. Missouri-St. Louis +, 31-81 (.277)
19. Rogers State *, 24-89 (.212)
20. Nebraska-Omaha !, 23-39 (.371)
21. Newman *, 20-93 (.177)
22. Arkansas-Fort Smith *,4-2 (.667)
* - Current Member Institution
# - Left conference in 2024
^ - Left conference in 2019
& - Left conference in 2013
! - Left conference in 2011
% - Left conference in 2005
@ - Left conference in 1999
+ - Left conference in 1996
? - Left conference in 1991