UNK’s 28 Wins Have Tied the School Mark; Lopers Aim to go 3-0 Against Pitt
Kearney, Neb. – The 10th-ranked Nebraska Kearney women’s basketball team faces Pittsburg State in an NCAA Tournament game Friday at 2:30 p.m. in Duluth, Minn.
The game is part of the eight-team Central Regional with UNK (28-4) the second-seed and the Gorillas (22-7) the seventh. The winner plays again Saturday at 5 p.m. against either No. 18 Missouri Southern State or No. 29 Augustana. Those two play at noon to start the seven-game regional weekend.
Fans can watch the game for free via The MIAA Network, listen via The River 93.1/106.9 KRVN FM and follow along live stats. For more information, go to the tourney webpage.
UNK has win five in a row over their MIAA rivals, taking this year’s games by scores of 70-55 and 70-67. The high-scoring Gorillas were just 9 of 45 (.200 pct.) from the behind the arc against UNK’s stingy and nationally-ranked defense. Winning the game at Pitt in the closing seconds, the Lopers also were plus five on the glass in the two games.
Point guard Sarah Schmitt (Swisher, Ia.) has had the hot hand against Pitt, shooting 59% from the field en route to 32 points (16.0 pg). She also shot 91% from the line in the two wins; UNK was at 86% as a team. Finally, wing Klaire Kirsch (Rapid City, S.D.) went 10 of 20 from the field vs. Pitt in averaging a double double (13.5 points, 12.0 rebounds).
This is UNK’s third straight and 16th all-time NCAA appearance. They have eight wins in their history with the last two coming against Minnesota-Duluth, the Central’s top seed this year and tourney host. The Lopers are 0-2 all-time vs. MIAA foes in NCAA games, losing at Central Missouri in 2021 and to Missouri Western on a neutral court last year.
Finally, the 28 wins have tied the school-record set by the 1996-97 squad that went 28-3 and reached the NCAA’s 2nd round.
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