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The Pitt State women’s basketball team absorbed just their fourth loss of the season this past week, as they fell to the Northeastern State Riverhawks on Thursday, before bouncing back in a win over the Arkansas Fort Smith Lions on Saturday. The #11 Gorillas have lost just two games to MIAA opponents this season, including the one on Thursday.
The game was back and forth all day between the Riverhawks and the Gorillas, with the Riverhawks holding a slight 35-34 edge at halftime. Pitt State would outscore Arkansas Forth Smith in the third quarter, leading by as much as 12 points, but the determined Riverhawks would pull away in the fourth, as they have now won six in a row.
Junior Jamiya Brown led the Gorillas in scoring, notching 22 points. Freshman Kaycee McCumber added 12 points while fellow freshman Marin Adams added another 11 points. Senior Harper Schreiner contributed nine points, along with a game high ten rebounds and four assists. Pitt State allowed 20 turnovers and was outscored 20-9 at the free throw line, as they stumbled their way into a defeat.
Despite the loss, the Gorillas did not lose momentum in the next game: They had a strong 68-58 win over the Arkansas Fort Smith Lions. Pitt State led the Lions for the entire game, outscoring them 36-24 in the first half. The Gorillas shot 47% from the field. The Gorillas almost gave up the lead at the start of the third quarter, when they allowed Arkansas Fort Smith to go on a 13-3 run to bring the score within two points, but the Gorillas held on to pull away in the fourth quarter and regain control of the ball game.
Sophomore Clara Swearingen finished with a game high 17 points, including three three-pointers, while McCumber added 16 points and a game high 12 rebounds. McCumber was also a perfect seven of seven from the field, shooting 100% on the night. Adams would contribute with 13 points and four assists, including some clutch late-game shooting to keep the Gorillas in the lead. Freshman Karolina Kiraga would add a steal, an assist, and a three-pointer at a critical time to turn the lead from 52-38 int0 59-50, finishing with three points, three assists, and two steals.
The Gorillas will host Missouri Southern University on Monday night. The Lions are the only other MIAA team to have defeated the Gorillas so far this season, so no doubt Pitt State will be looking to avenge the loss. The Gorillas will compete in the MIAA tournament starting at the beginning of March, and with just a month of the regular season left, they are in good shape to make a run to end the season. Pitt State will have a pair of away games, before a four-game home stretch in the middle of February.
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