The UNK women’s basketball team hosted Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern last weekend. Without picking up a win at home, the Lopers must have a strong week to end the regular season.
Fifth-ranked Pittsburg State defeated UNK 81-74, powered by seniors Karenna Gerber and Grace Pyle, who combined for 49 points. The Gorillas (24-3, 16-1) shot 59% from the field, made eight three-pointers, and used a strong fourth quarter to secure the win, handing UNK its first home loss in 11 games. This marks Pitt State’s fourth straight victory in the series.
“They are outstanding and it was a game of runs,” said UNK coach Drew Johnson. “They had the first one in the first half. Then they made the first one in the second half and we found a way to come back.”
The Gorillas would go on to score a game-high 31 points in the fourth quarter after the Lopers would go on a 13-1 run to end the third quarter.
Then on Saturday, in a tightly contested game, Missouri Southern edged UNK 54-51 after a low-scoring first half in which both teams shot less than 31% and committed 11 turnovers. UNK led 27-23 at halftime, but Missouri Southern took a 43-41 lead in the third quarter on a jumper by Venoce Powell and never trailed again. UNK cut the deficit to 54-49 late but missed opportunities including two free throws with seven seconds left. A last-second three-point attempt by UNK’s Samantha Moore fell short.
Even after the winless weekend, the Lopers still sit in the top five of the MIAA conference standings. Missouri Western and UNK are tied for fourth with a 12-5 record.
With only two games left in the regular season, the Lopers will have to face Fort Hays State twice. The Lopers will travel to Hays, Kansas, on Wednesday night as part of a makeup game and then host the Tigers on Saturday afternoon. The Tigers will be a tough battle as they are 15-2 in conference play, winners of 11 straight games, and ranked 14th in the country.
The MIAA does not seed the conference tournament based on win-loss record but on KPI or key performance indicator rankings. This is the first year the MIAA is using KPI as a way to seed the post-season tournament. Despite the 0-2 weekend, the Lopers are ranked fourth in the MIAA after the latest KPI rankings.
