Running with a four-game winning streak, the Missouri Southern women’s basketball team will open MIAA conference play Saturday.

“The thing about this league is it’s a grind,” said Maryann Mitts, head women’s basketball coach. “Meaning you have to go out every night and you have to be ready to play.”

Mitts said every team in the conference has to be ready play every night because every team is “solid.”

She said the MIAA is the toughest Division II conference in the nation. She said the top two or three teams in the MIAA are usually ranked in the top 15 nationally.

“The rest of us just kind of play for fourth,” Mitts said. “And to finish fourth in this league is very good.”

She said defense and rebounding are the two areas the Lions need to improve on before Saturday.

“I’m really interested to see how this basketball team responds on Saturday,” Mitts said.

Having such a young team, Mitts said the focus this season will be taking one game at a time.

“We’re going to focus on mentally making sure we approach each game the same way,” she said.

Mitts said she likes the fact this group of women is aggressive in practice but are still friends off the court.

Nov. 18-19, the Lions hosted the MSSU Pizza Hut/Fairfield Inn Classic.

They played Southwestern Oklahoma State University Nov. 18 and lost 58-52.

Nov. 19, Southern beat the University of Central Oklahoma, 81-75.

The Lions lost to Northeastern (Okla.) State University 56-47 in Tahlequah, Okla.

Nov. 25-26, the Lions played in the Pittsburg State Thanksgiving Classic. They defeated Evangel University Nov. 25, 65-44, and SWOSU, 69-61, on Nov. 26.

Returning home Nov. 30, Southern increased its streak to three by beating Newman University 87-53.

Dec. 6, the Lions took on Ozark Christian College, defeating the Lady Ambassadors 104-28.

Saturday, Emporia State University will come to Joplin.

Tip-off for the game will be at 5:30 p.m. in the Leggett & Platt Athletics Center.