JOPLIN, Mo. – The Missouri Southern women’s basketball team will start the season in the national rankings for the first time since 1993.
The Lions are #19 in the WBCA Division II poll released on Tuesday.
Missouri Southern is coming off a 24-7 season. They were 19-3 in MIAA play to claim their first ever regular season MIAA championship. The Lions finished as the MIAA tournament runner-up, and made the NCAA tournament for the fourth time in program history last season.
The Lions will play their first exhibition game of the season Tuesday night, on the road against Division I Wichita State.
RELEASE FROM MISSOURI SOUTHERN ATHLETICS:
The Missouri Southern women’s basketball team is ranked 19th in the preseason poll as announced by the WBCA Coaches Poll today.
The Lions were last ranked in the WBCA poll on December 16th, 2014 coming in at 22nd after beginning the year 8-1. This is the first time the Lions have been in any preseason poll by any organization since the 1993-94 season where they were picked 20th by the NCAA Basketball Preview magazine.
Last season the team went 24-7, 19-3 MIAA to clinch the first-ever MIAA regular season crown in program history along with making it to the MIAA Tournament championship game and the fourth NCAA Tournament in program history. Southern is returning nine players from last year headlined by All-American Lacy Stokes and All-MIAA performers Amaya Johns and Madi Stokes to go with MIAA Coach of the Year Ronnie Resseel and assistant coaches Kelby Fritz and Bryant Porter.
The Lions are in action today against Division-I Wichita State in an exhibition at Charles Koch Arena with tip-off against the Shockers set for 6:00pm.
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