MSSU women need one win in next two games to clinch MIAA tournament berth

(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)

The Missouri Southern State University Women's Basketball will return home for the final two games of the season as the Lions play Wednesday when they welcome the No. 19 University of Central Missouri Jennies. The Lions look for just one win to secure a spot in the MIAA tournament for the eighth-straight year.

Game Information

Date: Wednesday, February 26, 2020
Tip-Off: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Joplin, Mo.
Site: Robert Cord Court (LPAC)
Series Record: UCM leads series 43-23

Lions on the Prowl

MSSU enters Wednesday's contest with a 9-16 overall record and an 6-11 MIAA record. Chasidee Owens (14.7) and Destiny Cozart (14.2) are the leading scorers for the Lions while Campbell leads the team in rebounds per game (7.1) and blocks (58).

Jennies lead the Pack

Central Missouri enters the weekend with a 22-4 overall record and a 16-1 record in the MIAA. A single win this week would wrap up an outright MIAA regular season championship for the Jennies, whose lone loss on the conference slate came at the hands of Missouri Western on Feb. 8. 

The Jennies have clinched the No. 1 seed in next weekend's MIAA Tournament. The Jennies are the No. 1 team in the Central Region after the first set of regional rankings last weekend. UCM has made three straight regional appearances.

Jennies Put the Ball in the Hoop

Gigi McAtee is scoring 6.2 points in her last six games. She matched a UCM high with 10 points on 3-4 from three at Washburn. Megan Skaggs has 20+ points in three of her last four games. Skaggs is third in the MIAA scoring 17.0 points per game while Morgan Fleming is 5th at 15.8. 

Skaggs is the only player in the MIAA top-5 in both scoring and field goal percentage. Collier is leading the league in rebounding with 9.6 and is 2nd with 1.8 blocks per game. Fleming is 5th with 3.6 assists per game. Morgan VanHyfte and Megan Skaggs are tied for eighth with 1.9 steals per game. Fleming, Collier and Skaggs are all in the top-10 in free throw percentage and top-12 in field goal percentage. Kim Crown is averaging seven points in her last four games and 6.3 rebounds her last three games

On the Cusp of the Postseason

Southern was just seconds away from clinching a spot into the MIAA tournament on last Thursday night, however, Newman stunned Emporia State at the last second. Southern needs just one win in the final two games to clinch a spot. In addition, one loss by Newman in their final two games would help the Lions.