Kearney, Neb. – A seven-game road swing comes to an end for the Nebraska-Kearney women's basketball this weekend as Lopers start MIAA play at Missouri Southern State and Southwest Baptist.
 
UNK (3-3) faces the MSSU Lions Thursday at 5:30 p.m. and then gets a day off before facing the SBU Bearcats Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
 
This marks the second straight year UNK has visited MSSU (5-1) and SBU (3-2). In turn, Lincoln and Lindenwood have to come to Kearney again this winter.  

Both road games can be heard on KGFW AM 1340 and be seen (for purchase) on America One. Also available are live stats; MSSU .... SBU.
 
Southern has won five in a row after dropping its season-opener to Drury, 74-54. During the winning streak, the Lions have beaten three Division II teams.
 
A high scoring bunch is paced by 6-1 senior forward Dominque Mosley (19.5 points & 9.2 rebounds per game) and 5-8 sophomore guard Sharese Jones (15.8 points & 9.7 rebounds pg).
 
Both are excellent free throw shooters, as is MSSU as a team (79.4%), and both shoot over 50% from the field. Mosley also leads MSSU in blocks (eight) and steals (11).
 
Not to be outdone, 6-2 senior Shonte Clay (13.2) and 5-7 junior guard Nicole Hartzog (11.8) also average in double digits. Clay began her career at Minnesota while Hartzog played at D2 Alaska-Fairbanks.
 
UNK beat Southern, 67-60 in overtime, last year thanks to 20 points from guard Ivy Jones and a near double double (14 pts. & 9 rebs.) by current senior Shelby Zimmerman.
 
Southwest is coming off an 81-76 lost at West Florida over the week­end. They did beat Montevallo (AL), 86-82, on that same trip.
 
So far, 6-0 sophomore guard Brook Duncan has been on fire, averag­ing 21.4 points per game. Sinking 18 three pointers, she shoots 50% from the field, 72% at the line and also supplies 5.8 rebounds per game.
 
Australian native Jacqui Zelenka leads in rebounds (6.8) and is sec­ond in scoring (10.3). She comes from the same hometown (Mackay) as Loper sophomore Chantal Thomas.
 
Southwest is a strong shooting team, making 79% of its free throws, while holding the opposition to just a 29% effort from the three point line. Finally, SBU has a plus 3.2 rebounding margin and averages three blocks per game.
 
Last year in Bolivar, SBU won by a 91-62 score over the Lopers as they shot 54% from the floor and sunk a season-best 14 threes.
 
On the Kearney side of the court, the Lopers currently are third in the MIAA in steals per game at 9.8. Three Lopers are in the league's top 10, led by Zimmerman (T-6^th/2.0 per game).
 
Offensively, UNK is sixth in three point shooting (34%) and fifth in assists (16.6). Senior point Nicole Arp is a big part of the team's sharing as she is 10th in assists, handing out 3.8 per night.

One goal for UNK this weekend is to see Southern and SBU not make a lot of free throws. Through the first six games, Loper opponents are averaging an astonishing 23 made freebies per night with Sioux Falls (31) and Metro State (30) having sunk the most.
 
On the flip side, Kearney (61.3%) needs to be more efficient at the line.
 
Next week, there is only one game on the slate, a Saturday night affair with Lincoln  University.