MSSU women to play Missouri Western Saturday

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

After snapping a three-game losing skid with a 64-60 overtime win at home over Northwest Missouri on Wednesday, the Missouri Southern Lions women's basketball team heads out on the road for their only road game in a 25-day stretch traveling to Missouri Western on Saturday to face the Griffons at 1:30 p.m. at MWSU Fieldhouse.

Game Information

Teams: Missouri Southern Lions (15-6, 9-5 MIAA) vs. Missouri Western Griffons (9-12, 4-10)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 15, 2014
Tip-Off: 1:30 p.m., CT
Location: St. Joseph, Mo.
Site: MWSU Fieldhouse (3,750)
Series Record: MWSU leads 51-30 (Home: 22-18, Away: 8-31, Neutral: 0-2)
Coaches: Ronda Hubbard (15-6 at MSSU, overall). Rob Edmisson (25-24 at MWSU, 429-144 overall).

Media Coverage

MSSU Radio: KZYM-AM 1230 The Talker, Mike McClure, Play-by-Play
Live Stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/missouri/wbball/
Live Video: http://www.americaonesports.com/partner_members.asp?id=293
Lions on Facebook: Facebook.com/missourisouthernlions
Lions on Twitter: @mososports

Last time out for the Lions (15-6, 9-5 MIAA): Despite trailing the for the majority of the second half, the Missouri Southern women's basketball team prevailed in overtime squeaking by the Northwest Missouri Bearcats 64-60 tonight at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. The Lions (15-6, 9-5 MIAA) were led in scoring by sophomore guard Sharese Jones with 16 points on 6-of-9 shooting while she also grabbed nine boards. Senior forward Dominique Mosley nearly notched a double-double herself scoring 12 points and corralling nine boards.

With the Lions trailing 33-28 at halftime, Southern continued to trail Northwest for the vast majority of the second half as the Bearcats took a 50-45 edge with 2:52 to play. After a pair of free throws from Fitzpatrick and Hartzog got the Lions within one, a layup from Mosley with 54 ticks remaining in regulation gave Southern their first lead of the second half. After a jumper by Northwest's Mustain gave the Bearcats back the lead at 52-51, Sharese Jones hit a free throw with twenty seconds to play to tie up the game as the Bearcats missed a layup at the buzzer sending the game to overtime.

After a three-pointer by Northwest put the Bearcats up four with 1:20 to play in the extra session, the Lions clamped down defensively as Kenya Brown got a steal leading to a layup by Jones that cut Northwest's lead to one at 60-59. After the Bearcats committed a foul coming out of a timeout with thirty seconds to play, Alexis Fitzpatrick calmly knocked down a pair of free throws to put the Lions ahead 61-60.

Coming out of another Northwest timeout, the Bearcats' Monique Stevens got a close look at the basket, but Fitzpatrick again came through with a timely play as she blocked Stevens' attempt. After Brown knocked down a free throw, the Lions sealed the deal with a steal from Jones and two more free throw from Singleton to escape with the 64-60 triumph.

Last time out for the Griffons (9-12, 4-10 MIAA): The Missouri Western women's road struggles continue falling Saturday afternoon (Feb.8) 72-60 against Lindenwood. The Griffons shot 41.1-percent (23-56) from the field but got outscored at the free throw line 24-7. The Griffons fall to 9-12 overall and 4-10 in MIAA play.

Lindenwood took a 34-30 lead into halftime, but the Griffons quickly closed the four point gap by scoring six of the first eight points in the second half tying the score at 36 with 15:43 to play. Both teams would go on mini runs and after a three pointer from Alex Saxen with 9:34 to play the Griffons trailed by just two at 47-45 with 9:34 to play.

Lindenwood dominated the rest of play outscoring the Griffons 25-15 winning by 12. The Lady Lions improve to 11-10 overall and 6-8 in MIAA play. They were led by Bourlioux with 16 points while Gengenbacher and Jenny Rocha dumped in 15 and 12 respectively.

The Griffons were led by Saxen with 14 points while Lockett and Crawford pitched in 12 and 11 respectively. The Griffons had 23 turnovers which led to 24 Lindenwood points.

The Coaches: Ronda Hubbard (15-6) is in her 13th year on the staff at Missouri Southern and was promoted to the position of Interim Head Coach on July 2, 2013 after the retirement of Maryann Mitts. During her 12 years with the Lions, she has helped the team to a 189-145 record, including winning marks and a trip to the MIAA post season tournament in all but one of those 12 seasons. In 2000-01, Hubbard helped the University of Texas-Pan American post its most wins in a season since becoming an NCAA Division I institution in 1985, and the second most victories in school history. Prior to her stint at Texas-Pan American, she served on current Lions head coach Maryann Mitts' staff as an assistant at Rockhurst University from 1996-2000. There, she helped the Lady Hawks post a 68-45 record and advance to the 1997-98 Sweet 16.

Rob Edmisson (429-144) is in his 2nd season at Missouri Western. Edmisson guided the Griffons to a 16-12 overall record and an 8-10 record in MIAA play during his first season. He helped the Griffons win an MIAA Tournament game by defeating Pittsburg State 71-67 on March 5, 2013 in Pittsburg, Kan. He also coached second team All-MIAA selection Heather Howard and honorable mention selection Alicia Bell. He came to Western from Oklahoma City University where he coached from 2005-12 and compiled a 212-31 in his seven years at OCU. He also coached at Hutchinson (Kan.) CC from 1993-02 where he went 192-89.

The series between the two schools: Western leads the overall series with the Lions 51-30, holding a 31-8 edge in St. Joseph. The Lions are 22-18 at home and won this season's previous match-up 65-50 at home on January 25. Southern currently has won seven consecutive meetings by an average of nearly 10 points in the series as the Griffons last won at home on December 30, 2009.

Scouting Missouri Western: The Griffon women enter Saturday's game with a 9-12 overall record, 4-10 in the MIAA having dropped their last two games. Western ranks 3rd in the conference in both scoring and 3-point field goal percentage defense, 4th in steals and 5th in rebounding defense. They are led in scoring and rebounding by junior forward Quenisha Lockett who averages 9.1 points and 6.1 boards per game.
Mosley on a tear in February: Since the calendar switched to February, senior forward Dominique Mosley has been on a tear offensively averaging 16.3 points per game and averaging 8.7 boards per contest. She nearly registered a double-double on Wednesday scoring 12 points and hauling in 9 rebounds. On the season, Mosley is leading the team in points, rebounds and blocks averaging 15.1, 7.1 and 0.9 blocks. In MIAA contests, she is averaging 13.2 ppg. and 6.5 rpg.

Lions are tough when: The Lions have found much success this year when they have an advantage in rebounding (13-3), outshoot opponents in field goal percentage (12-3), have more assists (13-2) and have more steals (13-2) and make more free throws (9-2).

MIAA Team Rankings: The Lions rank 1st in the MIAA in FG percentage (.466) & 3-pt. FG perct. (.340), 2nd in free-throw percentage (.746), & rebounding defense (33.3 rpg), 3rd in steals (9.0 spg), 5th in scoring margin (+7.2), assists (15.6) & scoring offense (73.8) & 7th in scoring defense (66.7).

MIAA Individual Rankings: Shonte Clay is third in the MIAA in FG percentage as she is shooting 56.5% from the field hitting 95-168. Sharese Jones is 6th at 54.5% (84-154). Dominique Mosley ranks 9th hitting 50.4% (118-234).

Samantha Soyez is 3rd in the MIAA in assists averaging 4.2 apg as she has dished 79 helpers in 19 games.Alexis Fitzpatrick is 4th averaging 3.8 apg.                    

Jones ranks 5th in the MIAA in FT percentage at 80.2% (105-131). Hartzog is 6th at 77.4% (48-62). Clay is 7th (76.6%) and Mosley is 11th (74.5%).

Fitzpartick leads the MIAA in steals averaging 2.6 swipes per game. She is 8th in the MIAA in minutes played averging 30.9 mpg. Hartzog is 2nd in steals with 2.2 spg.

Mosley ranks 5th in the MIAA in scoring averaging 15.3 ppg.  Jones is 10th at 14.2 ppg. Clay is 18th with 12.5 ppg.

Mosley is 11th in boards grabbing 7.1 rpg. Jones is 17th with 6.5 rpg.

National Rankings: The Lions rank 12th in the nation in field goal percentage shooting 46.6% from the field. They check in 42nd in free throw percentage hitting 74.6% from the line, while they are 62nd in scoring margin and 63rd in 3-point field goal percentage. Individually, Fitzpatrick ranks 41st in steals and 43rd in assist-to-turnover ratio. Mosley is 64th in the country in field goal percentage.