Joplin, Mo. - The Missouri Southern women's basketball team (12-13, 4-11 MIAA) returns home for the second game of a home-and-home with Pittsburg State (19-5, 11-4 MIAA) tomorrow at 5:30 pm. The game will serve as Senior Day where the women's basketball team will honor their two seniors in guards Chelsey Henry and Laure Assena in the final home game of the 2018-19 season.
 
Game Information
Date:  Tuesday February 19, 2019
Tip-Off: 5:30 pm
Location: Joplin, Mo.  
Site: Leggett and Platt Athletic Center
Series Record: PSU, leads 51-41
 
Media Coverage
MSSU Radio:  Fox Sports Joplin 101.3 FM, 107.9 FM, AM 1560, 1340 AM; 88.7 FM KXMS
Audio:  http://radio.securenetsystems.net/v5/WMBH
Webcast: http://themiaanetwork.com/mssulions/
Live Stats: https://mssulions.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary

Picking Up the Scent: Five Components on Opponents
Pittsburg State   

• Picked 7th with in the MIAA preseason poll
• National Rankings (301 schools - Top-50):
  • 21st in field-goal percentage (45.4)
  • 25th in three-point field goal percentage (36.3)
  • 28th in def. rebounds per game (29), three-point field goal defense (27.7), and turnovers per game (13.9)
  • 38th in fewest turnovers (320)
  • 46th in scoring offense (73.4)
  • 50th in scoring margin (10.4)
• Return seven letter winners, including three players averaging double-digits in scoring with senior guard Shelby Lopez (11.7), junior forward Athena Alvarado (10.9), and sophomore guard Maya Williams (10.7)
• Registered a .500 record in the their last six games (3-3)
• Head coach Amanda Davied enters her first season at the helm of the Gorillas after spending the last 14 season as an assistant coach while helping the team toward five trips to the NCAA tournament 

 
Quick Notes
Stop the Polls 
The Lions were picked to finish 10th in the MIAA after going 11-17 overall and 8-11 in MIAA play during the 2017-18 campaign. Defending NCAA Champions Central Missouri was picked to win the MIAA with 13 first-place votes while Fort Hays received the remaining first place vote and was picked second. Emporia State (3), Washburn (4), and Central Oklahoma (5) rounded out the top-5. FHSU (4) moved up a spot as UCM (24) dropped down three spots while Lindenwood (25) climbed back into the rankings for the second time this year to round out the MIAA representation surrounding the National Coaches' poll.
 
Leader of the Pride 
Guard Chelsey Henry returns as the only senior from last year's squad and will be looked upon to make sure that all nine newcomers understand what it means to compete in what is the MIAA. After sitting out the first three games of the season, the Neosho native remains fourth in the MIAA averaging 16.3 points per game.
 
Welcome to the Club
Henry soared over the 1,000 career-point barrier against Illinois-Springfield and has cracked the top-ten with 1,229 points (10th) on the MSSU All-Time scoring list while being only a point off from reaching Katie (Garias) Marsh (1,230) for ninth, 19 points from Suzanne Sutton (1,248) in eighth, and 27 points from Patti (Killian) Coleman (1,256) for seventh with four games in the regular season to go before the postseason.
 
How many Transfers are we going to take before passing? FOUR!!! 
With eight players departing, the coaching staff mapped out the entire college basketball landscape in order to find four transfers and they did in the shape of 6'1 forward Laure Assena (Lipscomb University), 5'10 guard Chasidee Owens (Ouachita Baptist), 5'8 guard Destiny Cozart (John A. Logan), and 6'2 center Jordan Schoenberger (Independence CC).
 
To be the BEST, you have to BEAT the BEST!
As the Lions enter the second half of the 2018-19 season, they will have to prepare for the toughest schedule going forward according to NCAA statistics. The Lions' future opponents currently have a combined record of 89-26, calculating the highest winning percentage of .774. Fellow MIAA member Northeastern State (3) is only other one battling through the top-ten as well.  
 
Among the 17% (Top-50 out of 301 teams)
37th in blocks                          (97)
50th in block shots per game   (4.0)
 
Up Next
The Lions close out the regular season on a three-game road trip with stops at Emporia State (2/23), Fort Hays State (2/28), and Nebraska-Kearney (3/2) prior to finding out their postseason fate.