By Jim Henry

jhenry@joplinglobe.com

Evangel certainly grabbed the attention of the MIAA women’s basketball teams one week ago when the Crusaders defeated Northwest Missouri State, the league’s preseason No. 3 team, 80-71 in Maryville.

The Crusaders tackle two more MIAA teams this weekend in the Fairfield Inn/Pizza Hut Thanksgiving Classic at Missouri Southern.

Evangel (2-3) plays the host Lions tonight at 7 at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center and Pittsburg State at 1 p.m. Saturday.

“You look at the Northwest Missouri and Evangel score and know this is a very good basketball team,” Lions head coach Maryann Mitts said. “Hopefully we can learn from Northwest’s mistakes. I do not think that Northwest would take them lightly. Our team definitely learned we have a very good team coming in here.”

Missouri University of Science and Technology, formerly Missouri-Rolla and a former MIAA member, is the fourth team in the classic. And this team of Miners is different from the ones who used to finish in the bottom half of the league almost every year.

Since leaving the MIAA to join the Great Lakes Valley Conference, the Miners have a 58-29 record over three seasons. Last year the Miners finished 24-7 and came within one game of reaching the Elite Eight, losing to eventual national champion Northern Kentucky.

“I think a lot of people have this false sense of identity of what Rolla used to be like,” Mitts said. “This is an NCAA qualifying team. ... It’s an important weekend, but it’s going to be a very difficult weekend as well.”

While many basketball teams have games bunched together during nonconference play, the Lions have played on weekends only so far, producing valuable consecutive days of practice.

“I’ve enjoyed our schedule,” Mitts said. “We’ve had another strong week of practice. After two games this weekend, it gets to what Robert (Corn, MSSU men’s basketball coach) calls the grinder part of the schedule. After this weekend, you will not have much time to repair damages because you have to prepare for your next opponent.”

The Lions (3-0) defeated Northeastern State (Okla.) 75-62 last Saturday, outscoring the RiverHawks 46-31 in the second half.

Senior guard Myosha Barnes led the Lions with 18 points, and freshman forward Michelle Hedgecock contributed 14 points and eight rebounds.

Consistency is one trait Mitts is looking for this weekend.

“I think it’s important that we build off our NSU game,” Mitts said. “It will tell a lot about our basketball team ... was that just one good day or is that who we are. We are still trying to identify ourselves.