PITTSBURG - The Pittsburg State University women's basketball team will begin play at the 2025 MIAA Tournament on Thursday (Mar. 6) from historic Municipal Auditorium at 6:00 p.m. (CST) against either Northwest Missouri or Missouri Southern. 

Pittsburg State enters the week ranked eighth in the latest WBCA/NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll (Mar. 4) after claiming the MIAA regular season title and will be the one seed in the tournament. Northwest Missouri and Missouri Southern the eight and nine seeds in the tournament will battle on Wednesday (Mar. 5) at 6:00 p.m., the winner advances to play the Gorillas in the quarterfinal round.

Single Session Tickets for the MIAA Tournament are $25 for adults, $10 for students (college students must show I.D.). All-session passes for all games played at Kansas City are $85 and can be purchased at the Municipal Auditorium box office or through ticketmaster.com.

Head Coach Amanda Davied
In her seventh year as head coach of her alma mater, Davied owns a 141-61 (.698) record. Davied was crowned the MIAA Coach of the Year for the first time in her career after leading the Gorillas to the 2024-25 regular season title. 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 with a 26-3 overall record and completed the regular season with an 18-1 record to claim the fourth regular season title in team history. Ranked in the WBCA/NCAA Division II Top 25 Poll (Mar. 4) at eighth the Gorillas this season are 5-1 this season when ranked eighth. First-team All-MIAA guard Grace Pyle leads the team with 15.9 points a game with 75 made threes on the season, adding in 4.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists a game. First-team All-MIAA and All-Defensive team forward Karenna Gerber leads the team with 8.2 rebounds a game and a .578 field goal percentage, Gerber is second on the team with 15.8 points a game. Third-team All-MIAA guard Macie Mays is averaging 14.0 points and 4.0 rebounds a game while shooting .502 from the field and .843 from free throws. Rounding out the All-MIAA honors is honorable mention guard Harper Schreiner who is averaging 7.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.5 assists a game. Other notable performers are Sydney Holmes (5.9 ppg, 3.8 rpg), Maycee James (5.3 ppg, 4.0 rpg), Savannah Campbell (6.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg) and Hannah Nilges (5.1 ppg, .419 3pt %). As a team the Gorillas average 80.0 points a game while holding opponents to 63.3 points. PSU leads all of Division II in field goal percentage (.481) and three-point percentage (.384) as of March 3rd.

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) and rebounds (865) at Pittsburg State, third in blocks (179) and blocks per game (1.5), fourth in rebounds per game (7.2), fifth in free throws made (376), sixth in field goals made (633) and seventh in points scored (1,642).

GP Chasing After Legends
Senior guard Grace Pyle has proven over the last two seasons to be one of the better shooters in the MIAA, and in her final campaign she delivered another stellar regular season. For the season the McPherson, Kan., native lead the team in points, three's made, was second on the team for assists, while being third for rebounds and blocks. She became the fifth Gorilla in team history to make 50 or more three-pointers in three seasons on the road against Northeastern State (Jan. 30), joining the exclusive club of Jenni Miller (94-97), Mikaela Burgess (15-18), Shelby Lopez (17-19) and Tristan Gegg (20, 22-23). For her career wearing the Crimson and Gold, Pyle ranks fourth in three-pointers made (242) and attempted (674), 11th for points scored (1,503) and assists (280).

Schreiner's Game
Junior guard Harper Schreiner has specialized in assists and steals through 92 career games for the Gorillas. Schreiner so far has dished out 397 assists and recorded 142 steals to be fifth in career assists charts and 14th for steals. She became the fourth player in program history to record 100 assist seasons as a freshman, sophomore and junior joining the exclusive club that consists of Amanda Davied, Kaylee DaMitz & Leslie Dudley. Earlier this season she also became the 15th individual in team history to record a seven steal or better game, on the road against Rogers State (Dec. 7) and the first to do so since Megan Ripperton against New Mexico Highlands (Dec. 4, 2004). This season she leads all of Division II as of March 3rd with a 3.05 assist-turnover ratio and for her career, Schreiner's 2.06 assist-turnover ratio is second in PSU ranks behind Hadyn Herlocker's (13-17) 2.88.

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 14.0 points and 4.0 rebounds a game while shooting .502 from the field (154-of-307) and is 59-of-70 from free throws (.843). 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 has put together another solid year for the Gorillas as a senior. For her career, Holmes has appeared in 119 games with 693 points scored, 497 rebounds corralled and 174 assists dished out while shooting .440 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 6.8 points a game off the bench, going 71-of-144 from the field (.493).

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 36-of-86 from deep (.419) ranking second among team ranks for attempts and makes from deep. 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 61 assists, 37 steals and seven blocks after battling back from a mid season injury.

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 tied a school record set by Madison Northcutt (2016-17) with five consecutive double-doubles in January. The Halstead Kan., native has recorded 11 double-doubles this season to tie Northcutt for third in single-season ranks at PSU, trailing only Jaimee Bohannon with 12 in 1999-00 and LaTonya McGee who finished with 13 in the 1985-86 season. Gerber in the month of January recorded six double-double performances in eight games.

Wayne Cavadi's Favorite Center
Karenna Gerber has been picked by "The Dean of DII", Wayne Cavadi as the NCAA Division II All-Stats starting center for the months of November, December and January. Gerber is the only player to feature as a starter in three of the fourth month this season. Wayne Cavadi in his January write up of her said, "She leads all centers in double-doubles with 11 and trails just Yiibari Nwidadah in field-goal percentage among centers with a cool 60.1 percent. She has the third-most points (16.1 per game) and rebounds (9.0 per game) among centers as well. She has been the model of consistency at an inconsistent position, not just this season, but for the past three, having averaged at least 15.0 points and 7.0 rebounds in every season during that span."
 
The Rebound Queen of Pittsburg
Karenna Gerber at Nebraska - Kearney (Feb. 20) set a program record for career rebounds, passing Lizzy Jeronimus (2012-15). With 865 rebounds and counting, Gerber for her career is averaging 7.2 rebounds a game the fourth most among school ranks. In the midst of her best season for the Gorillas, she is averaging 15.8 points and 8.2 rebounds a game while shooting .578 from the field.
 
MIAA A.O.W's Came In Fours
This season the Gorillas earned four MIAA Athlete of the Week awards, split between two seniors in Karenna Gerber and Grace Pyle. Gerber earned her A.O.W's in back-to-back weeks in January (6th & 13th). Pyle earned her weekly awards on February 3rd and March 3rd. Both finish their careers with four MIAA A.O.W. awards.

Historic Scoring Trio
The scoring trio of Grace Pyle (462), Karenna Gerber (458) and Macie Mays (392) represent the eighth time in team history to have three scorers with over 350 points in a season. Gerber and Pyle where joined by Tristan Gegg in 2022-23 and serves as the only duo to accomplish the feat in back-to-back seasons. The PSU Hall of Fame trio of Lisa Cropper, Jenni Miller and Jenny Pracht are the only trio to have accomplished the feat in back-to-back seasons (1994-95 & 1995-96).

Historic Rebounding Trio
In Pitt State women's basketball history there have been 22 players to accumulate 500 rebounds in a career and for the first time ever the Gorillas have three active players to have accomplished the feat. Karenna Gerber (865), Harper Schreiner (548) and Grace Pyle (521) represent the historic trio.

What A 20-Win Season Means
At Pittsburg State the women's basketball team has accomplished a 20-win season 15 times since the 1974-75 season. Under the direction of head coach Amanda Davied the Gorillas have recorded 20-win seasons in 2018-19, 2022-23, 2023-24 and 2024-25, with Davied having a hand as an assistant coach in seven other 20-win seasons. Historically of the Gorillas 13 National Tournament appearances, 11 have featured 20-win season with the lone exceptions being the 1996-97 and 1997-98 campaigns.

Polls And Scrolls
The Gorillas, the preseason No. 1 pick in the 2024-25 MIAA Coaches Poll delivered on that prediction going 18-1 in conference play to secure the fourth regular season title in program history. Last season PSU captured the programs first MIAA Postseason Tournament crown, historically in the 42 year history of the MIAA Postseason Tournament there have been 19 instances were the defending tournament champion made it back to the championship game, 15 times they went on to repeat. The last instance of this was in 2017 with Emporia State closing out a five-year reign as winners of the MIAA Postseason Tournament.

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 four-time MIAA regular season champion claiming the title in the 2024-25, 2016-17, 1995-96 and 1991-92 seasons.

A Bearcat Lion Dispute
Following the opening round match up between No. 8 Seed Northwest Missouri and No. 9 Missouri Southern, the winner will play Pittsburg State on Thursday (Mar. 6) at 6:00 p.m. (CST) in the quarterfinal round. PSU in the MIAA Postseason Tournament is 2-3 against Missouri Southern and 0-2 against Northwest Missouri. 
 
NWMSU MIAA Tournament History
Northwest Missouri and Pittsburg State have squared off twice at the MIAA Postseason Tournament, in 2010 for the quarterfinals and in 2011 in the semifinals. The Bearcats claimed the win in both instances and are the only current or former member school in the MIAA to beat the Gorillas more than once and suffer no losses in return at the MIAA Postseason Tournament. If the two teams were to meet in the MIAA Postseason Tournament semifinals it would represent the first time the Gorillas were the No. 1 seed and the Bearcats were the No. 8 in the match up.

Bearcat Scout
Northwest Missouri enters the week with a 15-14 overall record, earning the eighth seed in the MIAA Postseason Tournament. Led by second-team All-MIAA guard Caely Kesten who averaged 14.6 points a game while going 72-of-166 (.434) from behind the arc. All-MIAA third-team guard Molly Hartnett averaged 11.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 3.6 assists a game for the Bearcats. Kelsey Fields leads the team with 8.0 rebounds a game while Sadie Maas collects 1.5 blocks a night coming off the bench.

MSSU MIAA Tournament History
Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern have met five times in the MIAA Postseason Tournament dating back to 1993, the last four meetings have been in the quarterfinal round. All-time the series is 3-2 in favor of the Lions but in the last three meetings the Gorillas have won twice. Last season Pittsburg State ended Missouri Southern's season with a 73-65 win to begin the MIAA Postseason Tournament for both team as Macie Mays and Grace Pyle scored 17 points to pace PSU. If the two teams do square off against each other on Thursday it will mark the first time with the Gorillas as the No. 1 seed and the Lions as the No. 9 seed.

Lions Report
Missouri Southern enters the tournament with an 18-13 overall record and as the ninth seed. Third-team All-MIAA center Ryan Franklin leads the team with 14.0 points and 7.4 rebounds a game while shooting .447 from the field and .736 from free throws. Honorable mention All-MIAA guard Kaitlin Hunnicutt is averaging 12.1 points a game while going 44-of-121 (.364) from deep. Mackenzie Hart leads the team with 2.9 assists and 1.8 steals a game while adding in 9.0 points.

MIAA Regular Season Leaderborard (Since 1989-90)
1. Central Missouri *, 447-220 (.670)
2. Washburn *, 446-220 (.670)
3. Emporia State *, 424-209 (.670)
4. Pittsburg State *, 421-244 (.633)
5. Missouri Western *, 390-275 (.586)
6. Missouri Southern *, 336-330 (.505)
7. Northwest Missouri *, 278-387 (.418)
8. Fort Hays State *, 250-129 (.660)
9. Southwest Baptist ^, 229-391 (.369)
10. Nebraska-Kearney *, 152-110 (.580)
11. Truman State &, 141-280 (.335)
12. Central Oklahoma *, 123-137 (.473)
13. Missouri S&T %, 88-180 (.328)
14. Northeastern State *, 78-183 (.299)
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 *, 25-101 (.198)
20. Nebraska-Omaha !, 23-39 (.371)
21. Newman *, 21-105 (.167)
22. Arkansas-Fort Smith *,12-7 (.632)
* - 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