WINFIELD, Kan.— Southwestern College wraps up a quick turnaround with a nonconference road test Monday morning, traveling to face the University of Nebraska at Kearney for the first meeting in women's basketball history between the two programs. Tipoff is scheduled for 11 a.m. in Kearney, Nebraska.
The Lady Builders enter the week 4-8 overall and 0-7 in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference after a competitive 86-77 home loss to Bethany on Saturday, Dec. 13. Southwestern has played an up-and-down schedule to date, earning four nonconference wins while working through a challenging league slate. The team is averaging 63.2 points per game while allowing 73.1, with a +0.2 edge by quarter coming in the second period, where Southwestern has scored 204 points this season.
UNK comes in 4-6 overall and 0-2 in MIAA play, averaging 65.3 points per game and allowing 65.7. The Lopers have been steady on the glass, outrebounding opponents 38.0 to 37.6 per game, and they get to the free-throw line at a high rate, averaging 13.7 made free throws per contest. UNK has faced a schedule that includes multiple neutral-site games and road tests, and Monday's matchup opens a brief homestand stretch for the Lopers after recent conference road games.
For Southwestern, Macey Pond has been the consistent engine, leading the team at 16.8 points and 8.2 rebounds per game while logging 35.3 minutes. Breanna Goad is close behind at 11.1 points per game and is the team's top perimeter threat, hitting 27 3-pointers at a 38.0 percent clip. Kennedy Ford (10.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg) and Martha De La Rosa (10.0 ppg) give the Lady Builders multiple scoring options, while Allyson Frank has provided efficiency inside, shooting 53.8 percent from the field.
UNK is paced by Myleigh Weers (16.1 ppg), with Jillian Aschoff (11.2 ppg) serving as the primary playmaker at 5.2 assists per game. Jordan Sears (10.8 ppg) adds another scoring option, and the Lopers' rebounding has been balanced across the rotation, with Aschoff and Gosia Byczkowska each at 5.9 and 5.3 rebounds per game, respectively. UNK has also been active defensively, averaging 10.6 steals per game.
Monday's game sets up as a contrast in styles and priorities. Southwestern will look to value possessions after averaging 14.3 turnovers per game while facing opponents that have turned miscues into points, and the Lady Builders will aim to rebound against a UNK team that averages 38.0 boards per contest. On the other end, Southwestern's perimeter production (7.4 made 3s per game) can be a difference-maker, especially against a Loper defense that has held opponents to 5.8 made 3s per game.
Following the trip to Nebraska, the Lady Builders will return to conference play later this month.
