By Jim Henry

jhenry@joplinglobe.com

In Missouri Southern’s previous three games, senior guard Jolea Apon hit 6-of-23 shots from 3-point range, and the Lions had a dozen 3s as a team.

But last Saturday night, Apon exploded for a school record-setting and MIAA record-tying 11 treys, and the Lions went 13-of-31 from beyond the arc in an 87-64 victory over Missouri Western.

“It’s definitely a shooter’s mentality,” said Apon, who tallied a career-high 35 points and was named MIAA player of the week. “When I hit the first couple, I knew (the shot) felt good. Usually when I hit two, I know it’s going to be a good night. I didn’t know it was going to be this good though.”

“Her first three shots were in rhythm,” Lions head coach Maryann Mitts said. “Her footwork and the release had a great tempo, and one of the things our basketball team did is it continued to go back to her throughout the 40 minutes. Our team recognized she was getting open shots, she was hot, and she was never allowed to get out of rhythm.”

Pittsburg State also is coming off a big offensive game, a 106-102 double-overtime victory over Northwest Missouri State. However, Gorillas head coach Lane Lord doesn’t anticipate approaching those numbers in tonight’s game against the Lions.

“We could play Missouri Southern twice and not score 106 points,” Lord said with a laugh. “Any time you play Missouri Southern, you’ll be in for a defensive grind. Maryann is one of the best defensive coaches in the league. It doesn’t matter who is on her team, they will always be able to play defense. That’s why they’ve been successful over the years, and it’s no different this year.”

Tipoff is at 5:30 p.m. at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center for the final half of the Sonic Trophy Series. Pittsburg State won the first game 67-66 at home on Jan. 2.

The Gorillas (11-11, 9-6 MIAA) are third in the conference standingsbut have lost four of their last six games.

“We got off to a great start in the league, but since then we’ve been inconsistent,” Lord said. “One night it might be a defensive breakdown, another night we can’t shoot the ball, another night it might be turnovers. It’s been a frustrating time. I feel like we have the talent to do some good things but we haven’t put it together in stretches this year.”

The Lions (12-9, 6-8) are tied for seventh in the league and coming off one of their best performances of the season.

While Apon’s sharpshooting grabbed the headlines, the opening minutes against the Griffons saw the Lions get the ball inside to Michelle Hedgecock for a layin, Kelby Fritz break open on a backdoor cut and receive a pass from Erin Rice for a layup, and Hedgecock follow her shot from the top of the key, grab the rebound and score.

“Our players are starting to understand their roles and become more confident in their roles,” Mitts said. “You can score in a number of ways, depending on the athlete, and what we’re seeing is players playing to their strengths offensively.”

Jasmine Lovejoy, junior forward, leads the Lions at 14.8 points and 7.0 rebounds per game, and Apon raised her average to 11.9. Lovejoy had 15 points in the first game against PSU, and Apon and LaTice Jones both had 10.

Senior guard DePrice Taylor scored 17 against MSSU and has been the Gorillas’ most consistent player, averaging 14.0 points and 5.5 rebounds and leading the team with 54 assists and 41 steals. Senior post player Nicole McCombs adds 13.3 points and 6.9 rebounds.

Sophomore post player Larissa Richards scored 19 against Northwest Missouri before going down with a knee injury. She will try and play tonight, Lord said.

Lions freshman guard Myriah Hicks will miss her second game tonight after being placed on indefinite leave of absence from the program. Hicks played in 20 games, averaging 4.2 points and 2.0 rebounds in 17 minutes.

“Sometimes young people need to reflect on where they are in their life, their priorities and the direction of their future,” Mitts said. “It is in the best interest of Myriah and our women’s basketball team that she take time away to reflect on these things.”