Southern women can earn home playoff game

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March 1, 2013

Southern women can earn home playoff game

By Jim Henry Globe Sports Editor The Joplin Globe Fri Mar 01, 2013, 12:22 AM CST

Missouri Southern is part of a five-team logjam in the middle of the MIAA women’s basketball standings.

But the Lions, after Wednesday night’s 62-57 victory at Pittsburg State, control their destiny. They can earn the No. 8 seed — and a home game for next Tuesday’s MIAA postseason tournament play-in round — with a victory Saturday afternoon at Central Oklahoma.

Missouri Southern’s men, however, saw their hopes of a home play-in game on Monday night end Thursday night when Emporia State beat visiting Washburn 61-55. It was the Hornets’ eighth league victory, one more than the Lions, and ESU swept the Lions this season.

As regular-season play concludes this weekend, Missouri Southern, Missouri Western and Northwest Missouri State all have seven league victories, and Southwest Baptist and Lincoln have six. Those teams will occupy the bottom five seeds in the women’s field.

The Lions beat all four of the other teams, meaning they would win the tiebreaker with any teams finishing with eight or seven victories.

Missouri Southern can also be the No. 8 seed if it loses at UCO as long as Northwest Missouri loses at home to Truman State and Missouri Western loses at home to Southwest Baptist.

Missouri Southern’s men can claim the No. 9 seed with a victory at UCO or a Southwest Baptist loss at Missouri Western. The Lions would slip to the 10 seed with a loss plus an SBU victory.

Should the Lions, Emporia State and SBU all finish 8-10, Emporia State will be the 8 seed with the best winning percentage in games among those teams — ESU 2-1, SBU 1-1, MSSU 1-2. The Lions would then get the 9 seed with its victory over SBU.

PSU playoff possibilities

Pittsburg State’s men, who beat the Lions 94-91 on Wednesday night, entertain Emporia State on Saturday afternoon. The stakes are simple — the winner is the No. 7 seed and the loser is No. 8.

With a victory, the Gorillas could catch sixth-place Central Oklahoma, but the Bronchos hold the tiebreaker with a victory over regular-season champion Central Missouri.

The Gorilla women (11-6 in league play) hold tiebreakers over Truman State (12-5), Fort Hays State (11-6) and Emporia State (12-5) if the Gorillas beat the Lady Hornets on Saturday to complete a season sweep.

The Gorillas could move into the top four — and a spot in the quarterfinals in Kansas City — with a victory over Emporia State and a lot of help: a Lincoln victory at Fort Hays State and a Northwest Missouri home victory over Truman State.