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
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.
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.
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.
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