The Pitt State men’s basketball team will have to reset as they prepare for the MIAA championship tournament this coming weekend, having dropped three games in a row to end the season. The Gorillas already had their spot in the tournament clinched before this weekend but were unable to build momentum going into the tournament.
They started off their week with a road game on Wednesday against #3 Washburn, losing handily 49-88. The Fighting Ichabods played an even game, scoring 44 points in both halves, while Pitt State struggled with just 26 points in the first half and 23 in the second. The Fighting Ichabods had already clinched the season MIAA crown going into the game.
The Gorillas got a team-leading 15 points from junior Connor Rogers, while redshirt junior Hayden Shanks and freshman Mason English added eight points apiece. Pitt State shot 34.0 percent from the field in the game, including 4-for-22 from 3-point range, contributing to the loss.
Pitt State followed that abysmal performance with another loss, this time on the road at Central Missouri University. The Gorillas were only behind 31-35 at half, as they stayed in the game, but the Mules pulled away the stretch for the eventual 78-61 win.
English paced the Gorillas with 19 points in the contest, while freshman Ethan Sage logged his third double-double of the season with 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds. Rogers and Shanks rounded out the Gorillas, scoring eight and seven points, respectively.
With the pair of losses, the Gorillas sink to 15-14 and will have to grind if they wish to advance through the MIAA tournament. The Gorillas, as the eighth seed, will play the ninth seeded Central Oklahoma Bronchos on March 4. Pitt State lost 59-69 in the last matchup with the Bronchos, as both teams sit 9-10 in conference play.
If the Gorillas can pull out a win over Central Oklahoma, they will then play the #1 seeded Ichabods, who just defeated the Gorillas handily. It will be an uphill battle for Pitt State, as they haven’t put together more than one win in a row since Jan. 8, when they defeated Newman University to win their third in a row.
This season has certainly been a step back for the Gorillas, since they went 18-12 last year and advanced to the second round of the MIAA Championship Tournament, losing, ironically, to Central Oklahoma. The Gorillas will have their chance to avenge last year’s loss at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, MO this week.