PITTSBURG — The Pittsburg State University women's basketball team will wrap up a three-game road swing with a pair of contests against Northeastern State and Arkansas-Fort Smith this week.

The Gorillas and RiverHawks will meet at 5:30 p.m. (CST) Thursday (Jan. 30) at the NSU Event Center at Tahlequah, Okla., while Pitt State and UAFS will take the court at Gayle Kaundart Arena at Fort Smith, Ark., at 1 p.m.

The Gorillas climbed two spots to No. 6 in the most recent WBCA NCAA Division II Top 25 poll. This marks the second time in program history Pitt State is ranked No. 6 and the program's highest ranking since Jan. 3, 2017.

Head Coach Amanda Davied
In her seventh year as head coach of her alma mater, Davied owns a 132-60 (.688) 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 17-2 overall and 9-0 in the MIAA. The Gorillas, ranked sixth in the most recent WBCA/NCAA Division II Top 25 poll (Jan. 28), have won nine out of the last ten games and are 5-1 on the road so far. Last time out for the Gorillas against Missouri Southern (Jan. 25), Pitt State claimed a 68-52 win on the road behind a Karenna Gerber 17 point, 11 rebound double-double. Gerber leads the team with 16.2 points and 9.2 rebounds a game while shooting .612 from the field and .895 from the charity stripe. Macie Mays is second on the team with 14.7 points a game and is shooting .526 from the field and .841 from free throws. Grace Pyle is the top marksmen going 48-of-129 from distance and averages 14.3 points a game. Harper Schreiner leads the team with 4.9 assists a game while adding 7.8 points and 5.2 rebounds. Savannah Campbell leads the bench unit with 7.2 points a game and is shooting .505 from the field.

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 (32) at Pittsburg State and in field goal percentage among qualified shooters (.590), second in rebounds (801), third in blocks (165) and blocks per game (1.49), fourth in rebounds per game (7.2), sixth in free throws made (351), seventh in free throws attempted (459), 10^th in field goals made (570) and 11^th in points (1,491).

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 fourth in team ranks for made three-pointers (215) and three-pointers attempted (606) .Pyle is also 13^th in points scored (1,312) with Lisa Cropper (1992-96) at 1,399 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 82 career games for the Gorillas. Schreiner so far has dished out 359 assists and recorded 124 steals to be seventh in career assists charts and 22^nd for steals. Last season the Eudora, Kan., native dished out 139 assists and nabbed 54 steals to lead the team in each category. With 93 assists this season she is looking to become the fourth player in program history to record 100 assists seasons in their freshman, sophomore and junior seasons (Amanda Davied, Kaylee DaMitz & Leslie Dudley). Earlier 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 14.7 points and 3.9 rebounds a game while shooting .526 from the field (112-of-213) and is 37-of-44 from free throws (.841). 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 109 games with 642 points scored, 460 rebounds corralled and 154 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 51-of-101 from the field (.505).

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 22-of-53 from deep (.415) ranking second among team ranks for makes and third for 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.

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 32 career double-doubles.
 
Karenna Chasing After Double-Double Records
Gerber has recorded a double-double in five straight games for the Gorillas tying a the school record set by Madison Northcutt in the 2016-17 season. Northcutt also recorded seven double-doubles in an eight game stretch as the season ended in 16-17, Gerber has finished with a double-double in eight of the last 10 games for the Gorillas. With 11 double-doubles this season to tie with Northcutt (16-17) for third, Jaimee Bohannon (99-00) with 12 and LaTonya McGee (85-86) finishing with 13.
 
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 17.4 points and 9.9 rebounds a game while shooting .654 from the field and .925 from free throws to rank within the top-four 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 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 sixth in the latest poll (Jan. 28).

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.

RiverHawks Report
Northeastern State is 9-9 overall and 5-4 in the MIAA heading into the week, while winning four of the their last five games. On the season the RiverHawks are 6-2 at home with losses against Arkansas – Fort Smith (Jan. 16) and Kansas Wesleyan (Dec. 31). Alex Hill leads the team with 14.5 points this season and is 80-of-125 from free throws. Courtney Lee is second on the team with 11.8 points and a team-high 5.7 rebounds a game while going 64-of-100 from free throws this season. Deyanna Douglas averages 10.9 points and 5.0 rebounds a game while shooting a team-best .464 from the field. As a team, NSU averages 68.6 points a game while shooting .392 from the field, .280 from three and .655 from free throws. Opponents are averaging 67.6 points a game while shooting .410 from the field, .288 from three and .739 from the charity stripe.

NSU Series History
Thursday's contest will mark the 40th meeting all-time, with Pitt State owning a 28-11 advantage and winning 18 straight. In Tahlequah, the Gorillas have won seven straight with the last loss happening on Jan. 23, 2013. In the last matchup Macie Mays scored a career-high 30 points and set a program record for field goal percentage going 10-of-10, in the Gorillas 88-56 win (Jan. 4).

Lions Scout
Arkansas – Fort Smith enters the weekend with a 13-5 overall record and 7-2 in the MIAA in their inaugural season as a conference member. At home the Lions are a perfect 7-0 with wins in conference action against Northeastern State (Dec. 3), Newman (Dec. 7), Rogers State (Jan. 8) and Central Oklahoma (Jan. 12). Anna Trusty leads the team with 13.7 points a game and is second on the team with 5.8 rebounds while shooting .865 from free throws. Morgan Browning averages 13.3 points a game while shooting .764 from free throws. Sinetra Jones is averaging 9.7 points and a team-high 6.2 rebounds a game while shooting at a team-best .571 clip from the field. As a team, UAFS averages 74.6 points a game while shooting .405 from the field, .321 from three-point attempts and .712 from free throws. Opponents are averaging 69.8 points a game while shooting .393 from the field, .295 from three and .683 from the charity stripe.

UAFS Series History
Saturday's contest will mark the ninth meeting all-time, with Pitt State owning a 5-3 advantage and winning back-to-back games. On the road the Gorillas are winless in the previous three trips to Fort Smith, Ark. Pitt State historically averages 57.0 points at Gayle Kaundart Arena and 85.3 points in John Lance Arena. In the last matchup, the Gorillas won 91-71 (Jan. 2) behind a career-high 35 points from Karenna Gerber.

MIAA Win Leaderborard (Since 1989-90 season) As of Jan. 27
1. Central Missouri *, 443-215 (.673)
2. Washburn *, 440-217 (.670)
3. Emporia State *, 421-203 (.675)
4. Pittsburg State *, 412-243 (.629)
5. Missouri Western *, 384-272 (.585)
6. Missouri Southern *, 331-325 (.505)
7. Northwest Missouri *, 273-383 (.416)
8. Fort Hays State *, 241-128 (.653)
9. Southwest Baptist ^, 229-391 (.369)
10. Nebraska-Kearney *, 147-105 (.583)
11. Truman State &, 141-280 (.335)
12. Central Oklahoma *, 119-132 (.474)
13. Missouri S&T %, 88-180 (.328)
14. Northeastern State *, 76-175 (.303)
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 *, 24-93 (.205)
20. Nebraska-Omaha !, 23-39 (.371)
21. Newman *, 20-97 (.171)
22. Arkansas-Fort Smith *,7-2 (.778)
* - 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