Joplin, Mo. - Missouri Southern women's basketball coach
Ronnie Ressel has announced the signing of six recruits for the 2024-25 season.
Ashlyn Alloway
Olathe, Kan.
Alloway comes to Southern as a transfer from Lincoln University. As a Blue Tiger, the 5-foot-11 guard averaged 15.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.5 steals in her sophomore year, earning her All-MIAA Third Team honors for the 2023-24 season. Alloway won MIAA Player of the Week on March 4 after averaging 20.0 points and 9.0 rebounds while shooting 66.7 percent from the field to lead Lincoln to a pair of victories in the final week of the season. Alloway scored a season high 33 points against Emporia State on January 11 and grabbed her season high 12 rebounds against Rogers State on March 2. Alloway finished 7th in the MIAA in points per game and 8th in rebounds for the 2023-24 season.
Coach Ressel on Ashlyn, "A 3rd team All-MIAA selection this past year, she is a great athlete that can score really well around the basket. She can put it on the floor and get to the rim, and does a great job of rebounding the basketball."
Ashlyn is the daughter of Keri and Anthony Alloway and plans to major in Psychology at Southern.
Evie Caruso
Cape Girardeau, Mo.
Caruso prepped at Saxony Lutheran High School in Cape Girardeau, Missouri where she was an All-Conference selection following her junior and senior seasons. Additionally, Caruso was named the Class Three District Two Player of the Year as a senior, helping lead the Crusaders to their first district championship in four years. As a senior, the 6-foot-1 post nearly averaged a double-double with 13.7 points and 9.5 rebounds per game, recording a team-high 90 blocks (3.2 per game) as well. Meanwhile, Caruso did finish the year with 10 double-doubles, including a 25 point, 11 rebound stat line in a double-overtime thriller against St. Vincent. She also scored 19 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in the district championship game, and had 18 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 blocks in the state quarterfinals.
Coach Ressel on Evie, "She brings good size and athleticism to our team. She is a good defender and rebounder of the ball, leading the area in blocked shots and rebounding."
Evie is the daughter of Paul Caruso and plans to major in Criminal Justice at Southern.
Nariah Clay
Canton, Mo.
Clay comes to Southern as a transfer from Morton College. The 5-foot-10 guard averaged 14.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals her freshman year for the Panthers. Clay played in all 37 of the Panthers games last season which tied for first in the NJCAA Division II. Clay was a 1,000 point scorer and a 4-time All-District player for Canton High School before signing with the Panthers. Clay and the Panthers finished fifth in the 2024 NJCAA Division II National Tournament with a 75-67 win over fifth seeded Iowa Western where Clay scored 18 points in Leggett and Platt Athletic Center.
Coach Ressel on Nariah, "She can really shoot the ball and has deep range. She can get to the basket effectively and is a good rebounder from the guard position."
Nariah is the daughter of Amanda and Doug Clay and intends to major in Sports Psychology at Southern.
Jacqueline Hall
Pittsburg, Kan.
Hall prepped at Pittsburg High School where she was a four-year letter winner for the Purple Dragons as a guard. The 5-foot-10 guard averaged 14.4 points, 2.4 rebounds, 0.7 assists and 1.4 steals in four years of action. Hall is a 3-time All-SEK League performer in her time playing basketball for the Purple Dragons. Her senior year, Hall was named to the 1st-team All-SEK League.
Coach Ressel on Jacqueline, "She adds depth at the guard position and is a big time shooter. She works extremely hard on both ends of the floor."
Jacqueline is the daughter of Jenni and Daron Hall and intends to major in Biomedical Sciences at Southern.
Mackenzie Hart
Olathe, Kan.
Hart comes to Southern as a transfer from Missouri Western. She played the 2023-24 season with the Griffons, playing in all 31 contests and averaging 18.1 minutes per game. On the season, Hart scored 191 points (6.2 ppg) on 38.6% shooting from the field and 36.4% from beyond the arc. She also grabbed 57 rebounds (1.8 rpg), dished 41 assists, and had 31 steals. Prior to last season, Hart played two years at Johnson County Community College, helping the team to a 67-5 record, two conference and region titles, and two national tournament appearances. While there, she averaged 14.1 ppg, 5.1 rpg, and 4.0 apg and was named an NJCAA DII second-team All-American, WBCA honorable mention All-American, All-Region IV First-Team, and the All-Kansas KJCCC DII Most Valuable Player.
Coach Ressel on Mackenzie, "She has proven she can play in our league over the past year. She really fits our offensive system well, able to shoot the three, gets to the basket, and can shoot the midrange game."
Mackenzie is the daughter of Jamie, Colby, and Brooke Hart and plans to major in Sports Management at Southern.
Veonce Powell
Miami Gardens, Fla.
Powell transfers to Southern after redshirting at Division I University of Texas at El Paso. Prior to joining UTEP, Powell played two years at Tyler Junior College where she averaged 14.3 points, 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists on 49.4 percent three point shooting her sophomore year. Powell appeared in all 27 games as a freshman, ranking second on the team with 12.5 points per game. Powell finished ninth in the country with 66 made 3-pointers on the season, making 40.5 percent of her attempts her freshman year. Powell scored a career-high 31 points against Coastal Bend where she converted seven three pointers, which she has done three times, on March 14, 2021. In Powell's sophomore year, Tyler went 28-8 and won the NJCAA National Championship.
Coach Ressel on Veonce, "She brings a lot of experience and toughness to the perimeter. She can score at multiple levels and is a competitor."
Veonce is the daughter of Tosha Daniels and Veon Powell Sr. and intends to major in Mathematics at Southern.
"We are extremely excited about these six young ladies that we signed in the spring to be a part of our Lion Family," commented coach Ressel, "All of them are incredible young ladies on and off the floor."
The Missouri Southern women's basketball season is presented by People's Bank of Seneca, a proud supporter of Lion Athletics.
