The womens basketball team is off to a slow start. Their record is currently 6-6. After last year’s phenomenal year, the bar was set high for this team.
The loss of their head coach and key players really hurt the team. The team needs to find a way to play better together. New head coach, Lynn Plett, believes the team needs to find cohesiveness with each other.
“We need to have all five players play consistently together,” Plett said.
The strength of the team so far this season has been their offense. The Griffons are led in scoring this season by Jill Johnson, who averages 18.1 points per game. Yanique Javois is a close second with 17.6 points per game. Coach Plett believes running the floor is key for the Griffons.
“Our strength is to get up and down the floor in transition,” Plett said.
Turnovers have plagued the team this season. The Griffons averages 18.2 turnovers per game. Defensively, the Griffons have had breakdowns throughout the season.
“Big issue is for us to be more consistent on the defense end,” Plett said.
It will not get any easier for the Griffons now that conference play has began. The MIAA has three teams ranked in the top 25. Washburn is ranked number four, Emporia State is ranked number 16 and Missouri Southern is ranked number 23. The conference also has eight teams with winning records.
The two bright spots for the Griffons has been the play of Johnson and Javois. Johnson is ranked in the top five in the conference in both scoring and rebounding. Javois is ranked in the top five in scoring. Senior Chemia Woods is also in the top five for assists per game.
The Griffon’s will need to learn to finish ball games. The Griffons have outscored opponents in the first half of games 425-387. In the second half of games they have been outscored 433-420. Playing better in the second half of games is a must for the women’s basketball team.
The Griffons have shot well from the free throw line this season. The Griffons are shooting 69 percent from the charity stripe. Free throw shooting has been key for the Griffons this season.
The Griffons will get back in action this week with two home games. The first will be Central Missouri on Wednesday and Fort Hays State on Saturday.
Filed under: Women's Basketball |