Wichita-area talent fuels NCAA Elite 8 run for Pittsburg State women’s basketball
Behind an all-Kansas starting lineup, including four from the Wichita area, the Pittsburg State women’s basketball team has punched its ticket to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Division II Tournament.
Following a thrilling run to the Central region championship last week, the Gorillas (32-3) earned the No. 4 seed at the national tournament and will play No. 5 seed Lubbock Christian (32-4) at 7:30 p.m. Monday inside UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pa. with the game available for streaming on ESPN+.
It is the third Elite Eight appearance in program history, powered a great deal by four Wichita-area players: Halstead’s Karenna Gerber, McPherson’s Grace Pyle, Maize’s Sydney Holmes and Goddard’s Maycee James. That group is also joined by Eudora graduate Harper Schreiner to form an all-Kansas starting five for one of the best Division II teams in the country.
No one lately has been able to slow down Gerber, who combined for 90 points and 31 rebounds in Pitt State’s three wins last week in the national tournament. She is averaging 17.2 points, 8.3 rebounds and 1.3 blocks in less than 25 minutes per game, while the 2021 Halstead graduate has also broken the single-season school record with her 14 double-doubles.
The Gorillas needed every one of those points last week when they erased 15-point deficits in back-to-back games, first in a 94-91 win over Minnesota State-Mankato and then in a 85-82 victory over Southwest Minnesota State in the Sweet 16.
But Gerber is far from the only star on the team, which won its second straight MIAA championship under coach Amanda Davied earlier this season.
Pyle, a former Kansas high school state champion at McPherson, averages 16.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.2 assists with a team-best 88 3-pointers on 36% accuracy beyond the arc. She recently garnered Division II All-America honors from the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association, becoming the 10th player in program history to earn All-America honors.
Meanwhile, Holmes (6.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, 2.2 assists) has become the glue player on the team and James (6.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.9 assists, 1.7 steals) is also capable of filling up the stat sheet.
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