Joplin, Mo.—The Missouri Southern women's basketball team kicks off the second week of the regular season on the road against the Jennies of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. Tip off from the Multipurpose Building is scheduled for 5:30 pm.

Game Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (0-2, 0-2 MIAA) at Central Missouri (0-0, 0-0 MIAA)
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 23, 2020
Tip-Off: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Warrensburg, Mo.
Site: Multipurpose Building
Series Record: Jennies, leads 44-23
 
Coaches
MSSU: Ronnie Ressel, 47-70 (5th Season)
UCM: Dave Slifer, 333-150 (17th Season)
 
Media Coverage
MSSU Radio: Fox Sports Joplin 101.3, 107.9 and AM 1560
Live Coverage: https://www.mssulions.com/coverage

Preseason Poll 
The Lions were picked to finish 10th in the MIAA after going 10-18 overall and 7-12 in MIAA play during the 2019-20 campaign. Emporia State was picked to win the MIAA with 4 first-place votes with Nebraska-Kearney picking up 6 first-place votes in second and defending Conference Champions Central Missouri rounding out the top three with 3 first-place votes. Pittsburg State was projected to finish fourth while Fort Hays State picked up the other first-place vote and rounded out the top-five. 

Block Party From Down Under 
Senior center Zoe Campbell erupted for a school record 62 blocks to lead the MIAA and finish the year 21st in Division II. The Caloundra, Australia native set new single-game, single-season and career block records during the 2019-20 season. Campbell has increased her block total each season at southern, going from 11 as a freshman to 40 as a sophomore and 62 this past season. Currently Campbell is at 114 career blocks and counting. 

Block Party Understudy 
Sophomore center Madi Stokes had a freshman campaign to remember as a defensive force down low. The Cassville, Missouri native had 33 blocks during the 2019-20 season finishing fifth in the MIAA overall and eighth in Division II for freshman. Stokes and Campbell paced the Lions to lead the MIAA with 5.11 blocks per game and had 95 of the teams 143 blocks. 

Anchors Down 
Backed by the blocking and disruptive abilities of Campbell and Stokes the Lions finished the 2019-20 season with the fourth best total field-goal defense in the MIAA limiting opponents to shooting 38.7 percent on 1,705 attempts. The Lions make sure to protect the perimeter as well limiting opponents to 32.1 percent from 582 attempts from three-point range. The Lions are limiting opponents to 37.7 percent from the floor and 29.7 from the three-point line in the early part of the season. 

Bench Spark 
Freshman guard Kaitlin Hunnicutt has provided a scoring spark off the bench with her ability to stretch the court with her three point shooting. Connecting on a team-high six made three pointers and tied for the team lead in scoring average with 12.0. In the first game Hunnicutt announced herself to the Pride as she finished with 14 points while connecting on four three pointers from the bench. 

1,000-Point Scorer Joins the Pride 
Carley Turnbull comes to Southern having already scored over 1,000 points in her career, at Monmouth College a Division III institution in Illinois. She averaged 14.5 points per game and pulled down 5.9 rebounds per game over her three years for the Fighting Scots, finishing with 1,131 points. Turnbull is already off to a hot start for the Lions finishing the season opener against Central Oklahoma with a team-high 15 points and snatched away two steals. 

Start The Season Off Against The Pride Pt.3 
For the first four games of the season the Lions will be facing off against schools that will be playing for the first time in the 2020-21 season. 

Central Missouri Returners 
The Jennies said goodbye to MIAA Player of the Year Megan Skaggs and MIAA First-Teamer Morgan Fleming but return MIAA Defensive Player of the Year in Nija Collier. Collier averaged 13.3 points per game grabbing 9.2 rebounds and finished the season second in blocks with 57 and had 40 steals. Gigi McAtee is the leading returner for three pointers made last season finishing with 27 and had 69 assists, while Morgan VanHyfte returns with 56 steals from a season ago to round out the returning starters. 

Queens Of The MIAA 
The Jennies have been dominant to say the least the past four seasons. Winning a National Championship in 2017-18, winning the conference regular season championship in 2019-20, 2017-18, finishing runners up in 2016-17 and 2018-19, as well as winning the MIAA postseason tournament in the 2019-20 season the first since 1990.