(From MSSU Lions Athletic News)
The Missouri Southern Women are looking to start 2016 with a bang as they travel to Nebraska-Kearney for a 5:30 p.m. contest Saturday at the Health & Sports Center/Buckle Court.
Last Time Out for the Lions
The Missouri Southern women's basketball team had an extremely cold shooting second half and the Lions fell 64-42 today to visiting Washburn on
Robert Corn Court inside the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. Southern (9-3, 3-3 MIAA) was led offensively by
Sharese Jones as she scored 15 points and added six rebounds.
Deb Holcomb scored 12 points.
Bri Shavers,
Kayla Kivinski and
Desirea Buerge scored four points each. Washburn (5-4, 3-2 MIAA) had three score in double-figures, led by 13 points from Julie Ravn. Jayna Smith had a team-high 13 rebounds. The Lions scored the game's first five points as Morice hit a layup and Jones nailed a three pointer. Washburn went ahead 8-7, however, after a three from Erin Dohnalek with 5:24 left to go in the quarter. Southern tied the score at ten after a pair of free throws from Jones, but the Ichabods hit a three as time expired in the quarter to lead 13-10 after one. Back-to-back threes from Holcomb to start the second quarter put Southern up 16-13 and a layup from Shavers with just over 7:00 to go put the Lions up 20-15. A three from Jones with 3:50 to go in the half put the Lions up 23-19 and a put back from Jones the next trip down gave Southern a six-point lead (25-19). A pair of free throws for the Ichabods tied the score at 25, but two freebies for Holcomb gave the Lions a 27-25 lead at the break. Washburn opened up the third quarter on a 17-6 run and led 42-33 with a minute to go in the quarter. The Ichabods would lead 44-35 after three. The Ichabods' lead reached 15 (50-35) after a pair of free throws with 7:49 in the fourth quarter. The Lions' cold shooting continued, but a three from
Desirea Buerge with 3:56 to go in the fourth made the score 57-42, Washburn. It was the first field goal for the Lions in 9:36. The Lions shot 24 percent from the field and 81 percent from the free throw line. Southern forced 17 turnovers and scored 16 points off of the miscues.
Last Time Out for UNK
The Central Missouri Jennies outscored Nebraska-Kearney 15-4 in the fourth quarter to post a 64-62 win Saturday afternoon in Warrensburg. UCM (3-7, 2-3) has now beaten UNK (5-6, 1-4) four straight times, three having been decided by seven points or less. The Lopers sunk 10 three pointers to lead for the first 38 minutes. Guards Laramey Becker (Trenton) and McKenzie Brown (Grand Island) each scored 20 as they were a combined 8 of 24 from behind the arc. Down by scores of 22-11, 41-29 and 55-41, UCM hung around thanks to 15 offensive rebounds, 22 bench points and a strong inside game. In the fourth quarter, UNK was 2 of 9 from the field, 0 of 2 at the line and committed nine of its 18 turnovers. The Lopers still had a chance to force overtime as UCM star and former UNL volleyball player Shelby Winkelmann made one of two free throws with 10 seconds left. However, Kearney never got a shot off. Winkelmann, who also is on the UCM volleyball team, went for a game-high 27 points by sinking 11 of 20 field goals. Going 5 of 9 at the line, the senior guard also had four rebounds and two steals. Off the bench, junior wing Ashley Duffy had 10 points, four defensive rebounds and three steals with Kansas State transfer Ashley Jones (nine points, eight rebounds and three steals) close to a double double. The Jennies scored 38 of its points in the paint and its o-board work led to 14 second chance points. Making just one three, UCM was 17 of 22 at the line. UNK tallied 18 points off of 15 Central Missouri turnovers and made seven of its triples in the first half. Becker became the 24th women's player in school history to reach 1,000 career points as she came into the day with 995. In 38 minutes, she made seven freebies and five field goals while grabbing six rebounds and having a team-best four steals. Next, Brown made five threes to reach her point total and played a team-best 39 minutes. Finally, Arizona junior guard Alexa Hogberg had 10 points, four assists and two rebounds.
The Coaches
UNK: Carrie Hofstetter, 5-6 (1st Season) / 73-37 (4th Season)
MSSU:
Ronda Hubbard, 48-18 (3rd Season)
The Series
The Lions lead the series with the former CSIC opponent 17-13, including an 8-7 mark in Kearney, Neb. The Lions hold a 9-6 advantage when playing in Joplin and are 1-1 when playing UNK in The Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. Since the joining of the NCAA D2 ranks Southern holds a 3-1 advantage over UNK. Southern has won five of the last six against the Lopers with two of those wins coming at UNK's Health & Sports Center/Buckle Court. The longest winning streak by either team is held by the Lions as they won seven games from Jan. 29, 1983 through Feb. 1, 1986. UNK's longest winning streak was four games (twice) Jan. 29, 1977 thru Feb. 4, 1978 and Jan. 30, 1981 thru Feb. 19, 1982.
Last time vs. UNK
Kearney, Neb. - Missouri Southern (7-0, 1-0 MIAA) came away with a 92-64 victory Thursday night against the University of Nebraksa-Kearney Lopers (3-4, 0-1 MIAA).
The Lions shot the lights out of the Health & Sports Center going 36-62 from the field for 58.1 percent and 11-23, 47.8 percent from three point range.
Southern would get off to a quick start as the
Camila Lacerdadrained a three pointer on the Lions first possession. The Lopers and Southern would trade buckets until the 15:55 mark when Alexa Hogberg hit a three pointer to give the Lopers an 11-8 lead during a 10-0 run for UNK.
Jolee Sharp hit her first three of the game and start an 8-0 run for the Lions as Southern pulled within one at 16-15 with 10:12 to play. A three pointer from Jensen Maydew would give the Lions the lead for good in the first half as the Lions closed the half on a 12-3 run.
Sharese Jones and
Nic Hartzog led the way for the Lions in the first half as they each scored 11 points. Jones, Hartzog, and Lacerda all pulled down three boards each to lead Southern.
Lacerda started the second half just like the first as she connected from downtown on the Lions first possession to expand the lead to 11, at 42-31. Southern never looked back as UNK would get within 12 on a pair of free throws by Laramey Lewis before the Lions would go on a 8-2 run to give the Lions a 19 point advantage at 62-43 on a pair of free throws from Maydew with 11:43 to play.
The Southern lead would not get below 20 from the 8:58 mark to play as
Tami Morice put in a layup to give the Lions a 70-48 lead.
Jones had a season high 25 points, while Lacerda and Maydew added career highs with 14 and 12 points respectively. Maydew led the way on the boards with six and Jones had four.
Probable Starters
Missouri Southern (9-3, 3-3 MIAA)
11
Kenya Wilson-Brown G 5-5 Sr. 3.0 2.9 62 17 Arlington, Texas
14
Tami Morice G 5-11 Sr. 3.3 2.0 14 6 Naperville, Ill.
24
Deb Holcomb G 5-7 Jr. 13.7 3.6 18 16 Dallas, Texas
30
Bri Shavers F 6-0 So. 4.6 3.9 1 4 Carrollton, Texas
44
Sharese Jones G 5-8 Sr. 17.3 7.0 14 8 St. Charles, Mo.
Nebraska-Kearney (5-6, 1-4 MIAA)
1 Bri Starks G/F 5-11 Sr. 7.5 5.5 22 12 Hutchinson, Kan.
10 McKenzie Brown G 5-10 So. 11.0 3.1 20 9 Grand Island, Neb.
12 Alexa Hogberg G 5-5 Jr. 8.6 2.1 49 7 Chandler, Ariz.
15 Laramey Becker G 5-8 Sr. 15.5 6.0 23 27 Trenton, Neb.
25 Imani Kyser F 6-0 So. 9.3 5.0 11 9 Madison, Ala.
