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The Pittsburg State men’s and women’s basketball teams had a pair of home games last Saturday, Nov. 27 and both came out on top by big margins.
The women’s team took the court first, facing off against the Miners of the University of Missouri S&T. The Gorillas entered the game with a 3-1 record while the Miners entered with a record of 1-2.
It was a hot start for the Pitt State women, jumping out to a nine point lead after the first ten minutes and the hot hand would continue in the second, going into halftime with a 42-31 lead.
“I feel like we got off to a great start which is always important,” said senior guard Tristan Gegg. “It gave us a confidence that led us to a lot of success.”
The second half was much of the same, a lot of success for the Gorillas. The Gorillas outscored the Miners 40-26 in the second half, with the game ending by a score of 82-57.
Senior guard Erin Davis had the hot hand all afternoon long and posted a career high with 20 points on 8-10 shooting, and 4-5 from three point range. Freshman guard Grace Pyle finished with 16 points in 18 minutes off the bench.
“I feel like we just have a lot of fun on the court this year,” Gegg said. “When you have fun with it, winning will come.”
The Pittsburg State men took the court after the women, facing off against the Wildcats of Baker University. Pitt State was still searching for their first win while Baker entered the game with a 5-4 record.
A very hot start for the men’s team as well catapulted them to success, after getting a lead as big as 18-4 within the first seven minutes of the half. The Wildcats made some runs of their own but couldn’t catch up. Pitt State entered halftime with a 34-24 lead.
“We came out really ready to play,” said redshirt junior forward Ethan Holloway. “We know what we are capable of and we were very ready to win, especially in our first regular season home game.”
The second half brought more success for the Gorillas, and the Wildcats were never able to catch them. Pitt State outscored Baker 34-26 in the second half, resulting in a final score of 68-50.
Graduate student Antonio Givens had a huge night for the Gorillas, tallying up 22 points and also adding 10 rebounds. Freshman forward Cameron Huefner was right behind him with 16 points, eight rebounds, and four assists.
“We still have things to work on but it was good to get a win under our belt,” Holloway said. “I think if we can put everything together, we can be towards the top of the MIAA (Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association).”
Both the men’s and women’s teams will start MIAA conference play on Dec. 1 against Newman University followed by the Bronchos of Central Oklahoma on Dec. 4. Students can get their ticket at the ticket office in the Weede or purchase online.