The Collegio Pittsburg's student voice since 1916
Curtis Meyer reporter
It was a short weekend for both the men’s and women’s team, as they each played just one matchup in Joplin, facing MIAA rival Missouri Southern State University. Both teams entered the game Saturday riding six game win streaks, as the women were able to extend theirs to seven, while the men fell just short in the effort.
Starting with the men’s side, it came down to the buzzer as the Missouri Southern Lions beat the Gorillas 75-72. Down 36-29 at half, Pitt State climbed back into the game, tying it at 72 apiece with a little over a minute left.
Parker Long hit a go-ahead layup with just 20 seconds left, giving the Lions the edge. Senior forward Jeremy Shaw was fouled with just four seconds left, giving him a chance to tie it, but he missed the first free throw attempt and was called for a line violation on his second.
“We kind of let them take our offensive boards, it cost us points. I mean we had a really good offense and did the things we wanted to do, high scoring game, but our defense was tired,” said Shaw.
Shaw led both teams in scoring with 28 points, while senior guard Deshaun English had his 11th double-double of the season, posting 17 points and 12 rebounds. Redshirt junior guard R. J. Forney came up third on the team, chipping in 12 points.
With the loss, Pitt State is now 15-9 overall, 11-7 in MIAA play. That ties them with Washburn and Rogers State in the MIAA standings. The Gorillas winning percentage currently has them sitting on top of both teams, but the Gorillas have lost both head-to-head matchups, so it is likely the Gorillas will have to win out to get a good seed in the MIAA tournament.
The Gorillas still have four games left and will need to make the most of all of them. Pitt State will face two opponents on the road next week, first at Fort Hays on Thursday, then Nebraska Kearney on Saturday. They will then end the season at home, hosting Emporia State and Missouri Western to finish out the season.
On the women’s side, it was another solid game as they cruised to a 77-66 win over the Lions. It was a back-and-forth game, as the Gorillas held a slim 56-52 lead at the end of the third quarter. The Gorillas took over the fourth, outscoring the Lions 21-12 to take the game.
Junior guard Grace Pyle scored a game-high 20 points, going 7 for 11 shooting, with four three pointers. Junior center Karenna Gerber added 18 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocked shots, and freshmen Macie Mays scored 17 to round out the Gorillas scoring.
The Gorillas now sit at 13-5 in MIAA play, 19-5 overall. In a tight MIAA conference, Pitt State is just a game behind 14-4 Missouri Southern and 14-5 Northwest Missouri, sitting fourth overall with 16-3 Missouri Western claiming the top spot.
Pitt State will look to climb in the rankings, as they have just four games left. Next week the Gorillas will travel to Fort Hays and Nebraska Kearney, before finishing out the season with home games against Emporia and Missouri Western.