By Jim Henry

jhenry@joplinglobe.com

It’s been nine days since Missouri Southern’s women’s basketball team played its last game, and the Lions can’t wait to get back on the floor.

“It’s been a long time to withstand a loss,” Lions head coach Maryann Mitts said. “Usually 48 hours later you play again, but the duration of time we’ve had off since the loss has been difficult.

“You always want to play right away and get rid of the loss. That has made the loss sting a little more ... we’ve hung our head a little bit.”

Now with first-semester final examinations completed, the Lions return to the court tonight to start a two-game trip into Texas.

The Lions (6-1) face Texas A&M International at 6 p.m. in Laredo, then continue to Texas A&M-Kingsville for a game on Wednesday at 7 p.m.

The Texas A&M International Dustdevils, a member of the Heartland Conference, have a 3-4 season record, including losses to Emporia State, 115-63, and Central Missouri, 88-67, in Kingsville.

In that same Thanksgiving weekend classic, Texas A&M-Kingsville (4-4) beat the Jennies 80-74 and the Hornets 79-70.

“We’ll see different styles of basketball,” Mitts said. “We’ll see a lot more pressing in the next two games than we normally see in the MIAA. It’s going to be more full-court pressure, more zone full-court pressure. That will offer some challenges, and it will make us a better basketball team if we can handle it.”

The Lions fell 59-52 to Central Missouri at home on Dec. 6, hitting 35 percent from the floor — 11 percent below their season average. The Lions owned a 30-24 lead four minutes into the second half before the Jennies went on a 20-8 spurt during the next six minutes.

“We feel like we let one slip away at home,” Mitts said. “We were in a situation to close out that game better than we did.”

The Lions returned to practice last Wednesday with an emphasis on defense.

“We spent a lot of time on our on-the-ball defense and our second-line defense,” Mitts said. “We noticed in our last game on a dribble-drive penetration, not only were they getting by the first man but also the second line. We were not squeezing the gaps, thus the ball was stopped merely five feet from the bucket, and they had a lot of layup opportunities and we were fouling.

“But, on the flip side, we have won some basketball games that came down to two or three possessions.