Rolla, Mo. – The Missouri S&T Lady Miners begin a tough four-game homestand welcoming two of top teams in Great Lakes Valley Conference this weekend. The Lady Miners (6-10, 2-7 GLVC) square off against Truman State on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and then will take on Quincy on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.
S&T got back on the winning track last Thursday with a 71-62 win at William Jewell to snap a five-game losing streak, but committed a turnover on its final possession in a one-point loss at Rockhurst this past Saturday.
Raetchel Gray (Allen, Okla./Byng ) followed up her 15-point performance at William Jewell with a career-high 18 points in last Saturday's setback.
Gray, who leads the Lady Miners with 53 assists, is averaging 9.3 points per game which is second to the 11.5 per game recorded by
Bria Pierce (Overland Park, Kan./Blue Valley North). Pierce has reached double figures in scoring in nine of her last 10 outings.
Jamy Douvier (Sedgwick, Kan./Sunrise Christian Academy) leads the Lady Miners in rebounding with 7.1 a game, while
Janie Arand (Washington, Mo./St. Francis Borgia) has made 40 percent of her three-point attempts.
Truman State enters Thursday's contest with a record of 13-6, 7-2 in the GLVC and is one game back of GLVC West leader Quincy. The Bulldogs possess the conference's top defensive team, as opponents have averaged only 54.7 points per game against them; which ranks 11
th in NCAA Division II. Teams have shot only 35.2 percent against Truman this year and have been outrebounded by over six per game.
Michalina Tomczak leads a balanced scoring attack with an average of 11.1 per game, while Courtney Strait is averaging 10.5 per game and has hit a team-high 27 three-pointers. Tomczak has been a force on the defensive end, pulling down 6.2 rebounds a game and leads the league with 40 blocked shots.
Quincy enters play this week with a record of 17-1, 8-1 GLVC and is riding a nine-game winning streak heading into Thursday night's contest at Drury. The Hawks currently hold a one-game lead over both the Bulldogs and Panthers in the West Division.
Maggie Cunningham leads a balanced scoring attack for Quincy with 12.7 per game and is averaging over 14 points a game in league play. The senior guard also leads the team in assists with 91 and steals with 38. Kara Gerbus is averaging 11.5 points per game and sophomore Anika Webster is contributing 11.0 points a contest.
The Hawks lead the league and Division II in three-point shooting making 43.0 percent of their attempts and are averaging 7.4 made three-point baskets per game. Nikia Edom ranks second in Division II in three-point field goal percentage making 52.1 percent of her attempts.
