The Missouri Southern State University women's basketball team is set to begin the 2020 season tomorrow night on the road against Central Oklahoma. Tip off from Hamilton Field House is scheduled for 5:30 pm
Game Information
Teams: Missouri Southern (0-0, 0-0 MIAA) at Central Oklahoma (0-0, 0-0 MIAA)
Date: Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020
Tip-Off: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Edmond, Okla.
Site: Hamilton Field House
Series Record: UCO, leads 15-14
Coaches
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 Campions 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 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 113 career blocks and counting.
Block Party Understudy
Sophomore center Madi Stokes had a freshman campaign to remember as a defensive force down low. The Cassiville, Missouri native had 33 blocks on the season finishing fifth in the MIAA overall and eigth 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 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.
Efficient From Deep
Junior guard Kai Jones started off the season recovering from an injury but by season's end started the last eight games and shot 43.5 percent from behind the three-point line during that span to go along with 50 percent from the field. Helping the Lions to win key games down the stretch to ensure postseason play once again.
1,000-Point Scorer Joins the Pride
Carley Turnbull will suit up for the Lions for the first time and would have already scored over 1,000 points in her career. At Monmouth College a Division III institution in Illinois, Turnbull 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.
UCO Returners
The Bronchos said goodbye to two MIAA honorable mention players in Micayla Haynes and Shatoya Bryson with Bryson being on the All-Defensive team as well. Leading the team into the season will be senior forward Kelsey Johnson a second-team All-MIAA selection who lead the team in scoring (14.1), rebounds (6.6), and had a MIAA leading field-goal percentage (60.2). Behind Johnson the Bronchos will be returning two other starters from last year in Clary Donica and Jaci Littell. In total the Bronchos bring back twelve from last seasons 18-10 overall, 12-7 in MIAA play team that finished last season in seventh the same place they are projected to finish this season.
High-Octane Bronchos
Central Oklahoma likes to get out and run looking for easy baskets and the Bronchos found them easy to come by as they averaged 74.7 points per game the fourth best in the MIAA last season and had the third most steals as well. Returning is leading scorer Kelsey Johnson with 14.1 points per game, Jaci Littell connected on 31 three-pointers shooting 39.7 percent as well as snatching 29 steals and Brooke Rayner led the team in bench scoring last season with 6.8 points per game while connecting on 26 three-pointers and nabbing 35 steals.
No comments:
Post a Comment