Kearney, Neb. – Having won three of its last four games, the Nebraska-Kearney women's basketball team returns home this weekend to face Central Oklahoma and Northeastern State.
This is the first of two meetings with the Bronchos (11-4, 5-4) and RiverHawks (5-10, 2-7) as UNK its ends the regular season in Oklahoma the weekend of February 25th.
Check the
Loper schedule page for this week's tip times and media links.
Last season, UNK beat UCO in Kearney, 65-62, but the 'Chos more than returned the favor. They won the regular season finale in Edmond, 79-58, and then ended the Lopers season in an MIAA Tournament first round game, 90-70. That contest also was at UCO.
Central Oklahoma is among the MIAA's top teams, currently sporting an impressive 7-3 road record. Beginning with a 68-61 exhibition loss at Wichita State, the Bronchos have been edged by two nationally-ranked teams in Missouri Western State, 77-69, and Emporia State, 74-63.
UCO ranks fourth in the MIAA in turnover margin (+2.4) and allows 65.1 points per game. A balanced offense has one only player in double figures but six are between 6.5-9.7 points per game.
Senior guard McKenzie Solberg is shooting 81% at the line and has sunk 19 threes to be at a team-best 15.5 points per game. She also leads in steals, averaging 1.6 a night. In last year's MIAA tourney game against the Lopers, she came off the bench to tally 26 points.
Finally, junior guard Olivia Mason is at 7.3 points and a team-best 5.2 rebounds per game.
Heading into Thursday's contest at Fort Hays State, Northeastern State is averaging 57.1 points per game, second lowest in the MIAA. Veteran head coach Randy Gipson has a squad that beat rival UCO in Tahlequah but has dropped four of five.
Getting out rebounded by nearly eight per game and shooting 37% from the field, NSU is led by 5-11 junior forward MaryJane Buschmann and 5-9 senior guard Kate Bellamy. Buschmann leads in both scoring (13.5) and rebounding (5.5) with Bellamy second in scoring (10.3) and fourth in assists (1.9).
UNK swept NSU last winter, winning 63-52 in Tahlequah and 61-49 in Kearney.
The Lopers (8-7, 4-5) are in sole possession of ninth place in the MIAA but are just two games behind third-place and ninth-ranked Emporia State. Showing its competitiveness, UNK's five league losses have come by a combined 31 points.
One reason for its success has been its three-point defense. The Lopers lead the MIAA in threes allowed per game (3.9) with only third-ranked Fort Hays State having shot better than 45% (9 of 17). That defense will be tested Thursday as UCO ranks third in the MIAA in three point percentage (37.0%) and is second in threes made per game (7.9).
Individually, senior guard
Laramey Becker is stuffing the stat sheet once again, currently in the MIAA top 15 in eight different categories. That includes ranking second in steals (2.2 pg), fourth in minutes (33.8) and sixth in scoring (16.5).
After a 31-point effort at Lindenwood last Saturday, Becker is now 21st on UNK's career scoring list (1,091). She'll also is sixth in career triples made with 151.
Also on that list is Grand Island bomber
McKenzie Brown. In just 40 career games, she has 95 triples, good for eighth in Loper lore. She'll be the eighth Loper to have an even 100 for a career. Recent UNK Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Beth Swift Dye holds the UNK record, sinking 247 triples between the 1999-2002 seasons.
The Lopers return to the road next week, facing 14th-place NW Missouri State Thursday and first-place and 10th-ranked Missouri Western Saturday afternoon.
