Joplin, Mo. – The Missouri Southern women's basketball team travels to Oklahoma for its third of four straight games on the road against new MIAA member Rogers State as part of its non-conference schedule tomorrow at 2:00 pm.
 
Game Information
Date:  Saturday, November 23, 2019
Tip-Off: 2:00 pm
 Location: Claremore, Okla.  
Site: Claremore Expo Center
Series: MSSU leads, 1-0

Media Coverage
MSSU Radio: N/A
Audio: N/A
Webcast:  https://themiaanetwork.com/rsu/
Live Stats: https://rsuhillcats.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
                       
Picking Up the Scent: Five Components on Opponents 
Rogers State Hillcats (2-3)

• Picked to finish 13th in the MIAA
• Seven new faces and six of them underclassman as head coach Kyle Bent enters his second season after leading the Hillcats to highest regular season finish in the program's short NCAA history
• Top-50 nationally:
  • 13th – steals (53)
  • 18th – block shots (18)
  • 19th – steals per game (13.3)
  • 33rd – turnover margin (7.25)
  • 35th – blocked shots per game (4.5)
• Begin their first year as a member of the MIAA upon starting up the women's basketball program in 2007-08 season and continuing onto four-straight seasons of 20 wins or more (2009-10 to 2012-13) in the NAIA before transitioning into the Heartland Conference during the 2013-14 season
• 1-6 versus current MIAA institutions since moving up to Division II in the 2013-14 season (1-3 against Northeastern State); not including Newman

Bring on the Polls
The Lions tip off the 2019-20 season and were picked ninth in the MIAA after capping off a 14-16 overall record and 6-13 in the MIAA along with a berth into the MIAA tournament where they eventually fell to Central Oklahoma in the first round. Defending Conference champions Fort Hays State was picked to win the conference again with ten first-place votes as well as earn a ranking of fifth by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). Central Missouri followed in second of the MIAA coaches' poll and is currently receiving  votes. Washburn (3), Pittsburg State (4), and Emporia State (5) rounded out the top five. ESU is also receiving votes (37) in the national poll shown below:
 

Rank	School	Total Points	1st-Place  Votes	Previous Rank
1	Drury (4-0)	562	13	1
2	Lubbock Christian (4-0)	555	10	2
3	Grand Valley State (3-0)	497	0	3
4	Azusa Pacific (4-0)	489	0	4
5	Fort Hays State (4-0)	461	0	7
6	UC San Diego (3-0)	443	0	6
7	Ashland (3-0)	433	0	8
8	Saint Anselm (3-0)	397	0	10
9	Anderson (SC) (4-0)	350	0	13
10	Lee (TN) (4-0)	336	0	14
11	Alaska Anchorage (3-0)	304	0	16
12	Minnesota State Moorhead (4-0)	286	0	18
13	California (PA) (4-0)	258	0	NR
14	Virginia Union (2-1)	255	0	5
15	North Georgia (4-0)	248	0	23
16	Indiana (PA) (2-1)	223	0	9
17	Southwestern Oklahoma State (3-1)	176	0	20
18	Harding (3-0)	171	0	NR
18	University of the Sciences (4-1)	171	0	17
20	Carson-Newman (4-0)	120	0	NR
21	West Texas A&M (4-2)	88	0	12
22	Glenville State (2-1)	68	0	22
23	Westminster (UT) (4-0)	58	0	NR
24	Union (TN) (3-2)	56	0	NR
25	Benedict (3-1)	54	0	25

Others receiving votes: Lander (2-1) 46; Emporia State (3-1) 37; Sioux Falls (2-0) 36; Bentley (2-1) 34; Central Missouri (2-2) 34; Stonehill (3-1) 30; Tarleton State (3-0) 29; Angelo State (2-1) 28; Texas A&M-Commerce (3-0) 20; Delta State (4-0) 19; Nova Southeastern (1-2) 18; Southeastern Oklahoma State (2-0) 17; Hawaii Pacific (4-0) 14; Florida Southern (2-2) 13; Walsh (4-1) 8.

2019-20 and MIAA opponents in BOLD and regional teams italicized

Send It Back
One goal that coach Ressel set for the Lions heading into the season was to improve on defense. Thus far as opponents try to shoot from the paint, the Lions have been preventing many shots from even reaching the rim with 36 combined blocks and 7.20 average per contest for first in the MIAA with Northwest Missouri State trailing by 12 through five games.
 
Front and Center
After observing as a freshman and figuring things out on the court as a sophomore, junior center Zoe Campbell from Caloundra, Australia has become a force in the front court. Campbell leads the MIAA in both field-goal percentage (.604 – 29-for-48) and blocks (20 – 4.0 pg) as a starter through five games for the Lions to begin the 2019-20 season. On her way to 20 blocks, the junior moved up to fourth all-time in career blocks (71) and set the school record for blocks in one game (7) at Harding. She also averages 8.6 rebounds per game for seventh in the conference as well.
 
Take the Long Way Home
Another dimension on the defense that MSSU wanted to sure up was around the perimeter and the team has certainly done its job by limiting opponents to 29.6-clip on 81 attempts from three-point range, which ranks sixth in the MIAA  at three-point field-goal defense. The Lions defense is also ranked fourth in total field-goal defense by holding opponents to 37.4 percent shooting from the field on 326 attempts.
 
Last Time the Lions …
Scored 100 points                               12/30/17 (vs. Graceland, W 100-44)
Allowed 100 points                               2/12/00 (vs. Emporia State, L 102-60)
Scored 100 points & lost                    11/23/91 (vs. Arkansas-Monticello, L 104-100)
Lost at home                                           2/9/19 (vs. Fort Hays State, L 72-57)
Played an overtime game                  11/16/19 (at. Illinois-Springfield, L 80-75)
Played multiple overtimes                  12/7/17 (2 OT vs. Lincoln, W 94-90)
Had a player with 30 points                 1/5/19 (at Lincoln, Chelsey Henry, 35 pts.)
Had a player with 15 rebounds         11/8/19 (vs. Henderson State, Zoe Campbell, 16)
Had a double-double                          11/17/19 (Owens, 15 points & 11 rebounds, at McKendree)
Did not make a three-pointer             11/20/99 (vs. So. Arkansas, L 73-62)
 
Up Next
The Lions face Henderson State in the second meeting of the season to wrap up their four-game road trip on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at 5:30 pm.