Game Notes

Date: January 20, 2020
Time: 5:30 PM
Location: Bolivar, Mo.

Bolivar, Mo. - Southwest Baptist will host the #1 team in the nation in Drury for the second game of the Highway 13 Catfight. The Bearcats will be looking to pull off the upset and spoil their undeafeted season.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
The Bearcats return just 1 starter from the 2018-19 season in Bailey Rezabek. SBU also returns their forward transfer duo from last season, Tyra Kidd and Zahria White. Returning for their junior seasons are Taliayah Wilson, Regan Tibbits, and Sydney Bandy. Sophomores Brylee Graddy and Megan Worthington also return. The Bearcats also add quite a few new faces, including NCAA DI transfer Alexus Johnson.

In their last competition, the Bearcats came up just short against Maryville, falling 66-82. Sydney Bandy led the team with 13 points while Bailey Rezabek also contributed 12 points to the cause. The Bearcats struggled from the field and look to get back on track against the Panthers.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Drury has been playing well recently, averaging 72.7 points per game and only allowing 54.2 points per game. Defense has been key for the Panthers this season. They are averaging 16.7 steals per game and scoring 31.7 points per game off of those turnovers. Drury is returning their top 3 scorers from the previous season and are led by Hailey Diestelkamp who is currently averaging 15.3 PPG and averaged 21.1 PPG last season. The Panthers are a very experienced team having 9 juniors and seniors to lead them.

THE COACHES
SBU head coach Kelsey Keizer begins her sixth season on the SBU bench after compiling a 66-76 (35-63 MIAA) record while at SBU. Coach Keizer led two Bearcats to All-MIAA honors last season, and fell just short of the conference tournament as SBU lost the head-to-head against the #10 seeded MSSU earlier in the season.

Molly Miller is entering her sixth season at the helm. She has turned the Drury Panthers into a consistent postseason contender. She has a total record of 148-17 and has won the GLVC conference title the past three years. She was recently named the NCAA-II Coach of the Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association in the 2018-19 season.

ALL-TIME SERIES
Southwest Baptist trails in the all-time series against Drury 2-10. Drury took the game earlier this year but the Bearcats took the win in the 2017-18 season. The Bearcats look to bring some of that magic from that season back and pull off the upset against Drury.