Women's Basketball | 3/4/2017 1:16:06 AM
Kansas City, Mo. – The women’s basketball tournament moves into semifinal Saturday with two semifinals, the first scheduled to get underway at 6 p.m. from Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo.
#2 Central Missouri vs. #3 Emporia State
Second seeded Central Missouri earned a semifinal slot with an 80-61 win over Southwest Baptist and will face third seeded Emporia State who won 78-62 over Fort Hays State.
The Jennies enter the semi’s fourth in the league in both scoring and defense averaging 71.8 points while allowing 58.5 per game. The Lady Hornets have the league’s top scoring offense at 80.1 points per game while they rank third in defense at 58.3 points per contest.
UCM is led by first team All-MIAA selection Paige Redmond who is averaging 16.9 points and a team best 3.9 assists per game. Forward Ashley Duffy is coming off a career game in the quarterfinals where she scored 24 points and had five boards. On the glass MIAA All-Defensive team selection Kayonna Lee averages 9.0 rebounds per game.
ESU is led by the MIAA Player and Defensive Player of the Year Kelly Moten who is averaging 18.4 points and a team best 4.6 assists per game. Kathryn Flott is averaging a double-double with 10.4 points and 10.4 rebounds per contest this season. Also in double figures are Addie Lackey who is averaging 13.2 points and Krystie Miller who is averaging 10.3 points per game.
The winner will face the winner of the second semifinal which features #5 Central Oklahoma and #9 LIndenwood in the MIAA Championship game scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. tip on March 5 from Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
#5 Central Oklahoma vs. #9 Lindenwood
For the first time in women’s tournament history a five seed will face off with a nine seed as Central Oklahoma takes on Lindenwood. Central Oklahoma earned the semifinal slot with a 69-58 win over Missouri Western and Lindenwood moved on with a 64-63 victory over top seeded Pittsburg State.
Central Oklahoma is sixth in the league in both scoring and defense averaging 69.3 points per game while allowing 60.8 points per contest. Lindenwood has the eighth best offense in the league averaging 69.2 points while they allow 69.3 points per game.
The Bronchos are led by first team All-MIAA selection Melinda Murillo who is averaging 14.4 points and a team best 3.4 assists per game. Olivia Mason is averaging 11.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game and had a double-double against MWSU. Marley Anderson is also in double figures with 11.1 points while Blake Blessington averages 10.3 points per contest.
The Lions are led by MIAA Freshman of the Year Kallie Bildner who is averaging nearly a double-double with 15.0 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Gabby Walker is averaging 10.0 points and 5.1 rebounds per contest. Lindsay Medlen is averaging 9.3 points and a team best 3.6 assists per game this season.
The winner will face the winner of the first semifinal which features #2 Central Missouri and #3 Emporia State in the MIAA Championship game scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. tip on March 5 from Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.