THIS WEEK - The Southwest Minnesota State University women's basketball team opens the 2014-15 season with a pair of home games this Saturday and Sunday at the R/A Facility in Marshall. SMSU will face MSU Denver on Saturday with tip-off slated for 4 p.m., before facing No. 24 Pittsburg State University (Kan.) on Sunday with game time set for 2 p.m. 

    SERIES HISTORY - Southwest Minnesota State and Metro State meet for just the second time ever on Saturday with Metro State earning a 64-59 victory during the 1996-97 season. SMSU and Pittsburg State meet also meet for just the second time with PSU earning a 97-51 win in Pittsburg, Kan., on Nov. 9, 2012. 

    ABOUT MSU DENVER - MSU Denver finished last season with a 13-14 overall record, including a sixth place finish in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference with a mark of 12-10. Last season snapped a streak of three straight 20-win seasons under fifth-year head coach Tanya Haave, who has a record of 91-31 at MSU Denver. She has a combined record of 127-117 overall in eight seasons as a head coach. She spent four seasons as head coach at Division I University of San Francisco. The Roadrunners return one stater from last season in senior center Deni Jacobs, who averaged 6.3 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Sophomore guard Jenae Paine is one of the team's top returners after finishing third on the team with 25 3-pointers last season. MSU Denver was picked to finish sixth in the 14-team RMAC.

    ABOUT PITTSBURG STATE - Pittsburg State advanced to the NCAA tournament for the second time in three years last season, finishing with a 23-8 overall record, including a second place finish in the 14-team Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA) with a record of 16-3. The Gorillas were picked to finish second in the preseason MIAA poll this season. PSU must replace its top three scorers and rebounder from a season ago. Lane Lord returns for his eighth season as head coach and enters the 2014-15 season with a 127-76 (.626) record. The Gorillas return three starters from last season. Lizzy Jeronimus, is a three-time All-American and first team All-MIAA selection last year as she leads the team averaging 18.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game over her career. Junior Cathy Brugman returns as the second leader in scoring from last season as she averaged 9.5 points per game. Antqunita Reed was a transfer a season ago and was able to make an impact as she averaged 9.1 points per game.