PITTSBURG - The Pittsburg State University women's basketball team will begin the MIAA slate with a pair of home games against the University of Central Oklahoma and Rogers State University this weekend at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court.

Tip-off against UCO on Thursday (Dec. 4) is set for 5:30 p.m. (CT) and against RSU on Saturday (Dec. 6) at 1:30 p.m.

Head Coach Amanda Davied
In her eighth year as head coach of her alma mater, Davied owns a 152-63 (.707) record. During her tenure as head coach, she has guided the Gorillas to the Division II National Tournament four times (2025-23 & 2019) with her debut season marking the first coach in program history to guide the Gorillas to a 20-win season. Last season, Davied was named the MIAA and KBCA Four Year College Coach of the Year after helping lead the Gorillas to a 33-4 overall record and a NCAA Division II Final Four appearance after claiming the MIAA regular season, MIAA Tournament and Central Region Tournament championships. 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.

WBCA Poll Update
Released on Tuesday (Dec. 2), the Gorillas were No. 8 in the Division II Poll after beginning the season 4-1. Pittsburg State when ranked No. 8 are 12-2, being ranked eighth during the 1994-95, 2011-12. 2013-14 and 2024-25 seasons.

A Peek at the Gorillas
Pittsburg State on the early season are 4-1 overall after wins over Northern State, Minnesota Crookston, Northwestern Oklahoma and Angelo State while losing to No. 6 Texas Woman's. Picked to finish first in the MIAA Preseason Media Poll and third in the Coaches Poll, the Gorillas have made it to the NCAA Division II National Tournament in three straight seasons. Leading the team with 12.8 points a game is Harper Schreiner, Schreiner is also adding 8.2 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.2 steals a game while shooting .889 from free throws (16-of-18). Marin Adams (11.6), Clara Swearingen (9.2), Ja'Miya Brown (8.6), Kaycee McCumber (7.8), Cambrie Phillips (7.0), Hannah Miller (6.4) and Amanda Byrnes (5.4) round out a balanced offensive system where anyone can be the leading scorer. McCumber, leads the team with 8.6 rebounds a game after setting a freshman record with 18 rebounds against No. 6 Texas Woman's (Nov. 25). As a team, the Gorillas average 70.0 points a game while shooting .314 fom three-point range and .405 from the field. On average Pittsburg State is corralling 39.6 rebounds a game (12.2 offensive) and recording 5.0 steals and 3.8 blocks.

Schreiner The Stat Sheet Stuffer
Harper Schreiner notched her ninth career double-double against Minnesota Crookston (Nov. 15), finishing with 19 points and 11 rebounds against the Golden Eagles. In 105 career games wearing the Crimson and Gold, Schreiner has accumulated 880 points, 622 rebounds, 443 assists and 156 steals. Among Pitt State career ranks, Schreiner is third in assists, seventh in rebounds and 11th in steals.

Consistent Mays
Macie Mays in two years with the Pittsburg State program, has scored 799 points (12.5) in 64 games and will be looking to become the next Gorilla to score over 1,000 points in their career wearing the Crimson and Gold. The El Dorado Springs, Mo., native is tied for the school record field goal percentage record after going 10-of-10 from the field against Northeastern State (Jan. 4, 2025) for a career-high 30 points at John Lance Arena/Whetzel Court.

Career Highs A Plenty
Ja'Miya Brown finished with career-highs with 20 points and 11 rebounds at Northwestern Oklahoma (Nov. 20). Amanda Byrnes came away with a new career-best five blocks at Northwestern Oklahoma (Nov. 20). Hannah Miller against Northern State (Nov. 14) in Kearney, Neb., came away with 20 points, five rebounds, three assists and two steals, setting new career benchmarks in each category. Clara Swearingen finished with 20 points and five rebounds against Angelo State (Nov. 30), while providing five assists against Minnesota Crookston (Nov. 15) in Kearney, Neb.

From Denver, Colo. to Pittsburg, Kan.
Senior Ashlyn Yow and junior Amanda Byrnes will be teammates at the collegiate level for the third season in a row after transferring into Pittsburg State from fellow Division II program, Metropolitan State University - Denver (MSU - Denver). Yow appeared in 77 games for MSU - Denver where she finished with 411 points (5.3), 140 rebounds (1.8) and 92 assists (1.2) while shooting .333 from distance. Byrnes played in 51 games as a Roadrunner, finishing with 153 points, 143 rebounds and 23 blocks in 12.9 minutes a game.

International Rillas
Marie Wembadjonga (Libreville, Gabon) and Karolina Kiraga (Wistka, Poland) have taken unique paths to end up being teammates this season at Pittsburg State. Wembadjonga played at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) last season where she averaged 7.8 points and 7.8 rebounds a game, the Gabonese national began her collegiate career in 2023-24 at Chipola College where in 27 games she averaged 4.3 rebounds and 3.4 points a game. Wembadjonga played at the Lycee Joseph Ambouroue Avaro Secondary School in Gabon prior to playing collegiately. Kiraga will begin her collegiate career with the Gorillas after wrapping up a prep career at Providence Classical Christian Academy in Rogers, Ark. Karolina (Lola) averaged 17.6 points and 7.1 rebounds a game during her time at PCCA, being named an All-State performer three-times.

Farmington's Best
Marin Adams and Kaycee McCumber are coming off three straight seasons winning Arkansas State Championships (4A in 2023 & 2024, 5A in 2025). Adams earned All-State honors the past two seasons and was named an Arkansas Basketball Coaches Association Top 5 selection twice in her prep career. McCumber was named All-Conference the past three seasons at FHS. Adams is averaging 11.6 points a game while going 16-of-18 from free throws (.889). McCumber in 24.4 minutes is averaging 7.8 points and 8.6 rebounds a game while converting on .739 of free throws (17-of-23).

Bentonville's Hidden Gem
Arkansas, better known as "The Natural State" features four players on the Gorillas active roster that played high school basketball in their prep careers in Marin Adams, Kaycee McCumber, Karolina Kiraga and Cambrie Phillips. Phillips prepped at Bentonville High School where she averaged over 15 points, six rebounds, three assists and a block a game as a junior at BHS. This season, Phillips in 20.8 minutes off the bench is averaging 7.0 points while shooting 5-of-9 from behind the arc (.556).

MIAA Preseason Poll
The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association on October 6th announced the Preseason Coaches and Media Polls for Women's Basketball. In the coaches poll, Fort Hays State, Washburn, Pittsburg State and Central Missouri were picked to finish first-fourth. Nebraska - Kearney, Missouri Western, Missouri Southern , Northwest Missouri, Northeastern State and Arkansas - Fort Smith rounded out the top ten teams. Emporia State, Central Oklahoma, Rogers State and Newman completed the poll in 11-14. In the media poll, Pittsburg State was picked first and was followed by Fort Hays State, Washburn and Central Missouri in the top four. Rounding out the top ten in the media poll were Nebraska - Kearney, Missouri Western, Northwest Missouri, Arkansas - Fort Smith, Missouri Southern and Emporia State. Northeastern State, Central Oklahoma, Rogers State and Newman were picked to finish 11-14.

UCO Report
Central Oklahoma is 1-4 on the season with a 65-52 win over Midwestern State (Nov. 20) the lone victory so far this season. Kaitlyn McCarn leads the team with 13.2 points a game while going 5-of-11 from distance (.455). Nykaiya Dillard is the top option off the bench with 12.0 points a game while shooting 16-of-24 from free throws (.667). Jerney Bennett leads the team with 18 blocks (3.6) to go with 8.0 rebounds and 5.2 points a game. As a team, UCO is averaging 58.4 points a game while shooting .611 from free throws, .277 from three-point attempts and .360 from the field. The Bronchos average 43.4 rebounds a game (14.8 offensive) while collecting 7.0 steals and 4.8 blocks.

Hillcats Scout
Rogers State enters the weekend with a 2-5 record with wins over Ozark Christian (Nov. 21) and Regis (Nov. 24). Ataya Casaus leads the team with 9.9 points a game while shooting .938 from the charity stripe (15-of-16). Samantha Shanks leads the team with 6.1 rebounds a game while adding in 8.7 points. As a team the Hillcats are averaging 59.6 points a game while shooting .361 from the field, .245 from three-point attempts and .654 from free throws. On the boards, RSU averages 41.4 rebounds (12.6 offensive) a game whlie coming away with 9.0 steals and 3.7 blocks a game.

Series Histories
Pittsburg State against Central Oklahoma is 29-12 in a series that dates back to Nov. 20, 1982. Against Rogers State, PSU is 7-2 with the first meeting between the two teams occurring on Jan. 29, 2020. In Pittsburg, the Gorillas are 12-5 against UCO and 3-2 against RSU. Last season Pittsburg State beat Central Oklahoma in both meetings and are 7-3 in the last 10 games. Rogers State and PSU meet twice in 2024-25 with the Gorillas winning both games.