The Missouri Southern Lions are on a road to victory with a 6-0 record in the first weeks of the season.

The Lions beat Henderson State University 53-49 and conquered Southwestern Oklahoma State University in overtime with a 6-point lead, 86-80.

During Thanksgiving break the Lions traveled to Pittsburg State University to compete in the Pittsburg State Thanksgiving Classic.

The team had a slim victory over Abeline Christian University, 67-64, then a 10-point win over Panhandle State University, 74-64. These wins lead to a 61-45 win over John Brown, and a huge win of 78-44 against Philander Smith College. On Dec. 9 the Lions went in undefeated against East Central University and came out victorious with a 70-49 win.

“We beat some very good teams,” said head women’s basketball coach Maryann Mitts.

“Coach Hubbard set up our schedule so that we would be able to play regional opponents at home. Three out of the four (home games) are regional opponents. The team should be very excited. The semester is ending, and they are really going to be able to focus in on positioning themselves very nicely as conference starts.”

“I think it’s a great start,” said Aubrie Hallman junior guard. “How we came out like we did, from seventh in standing to first in our poll.”

With all these wins the coaching staff is trying to get the team to not be complacent.

“Our biggest challenge is to not look at wins and losses but to come into practice every day and focus on being a better team,” Mitts said.

Mitts is proud of her team, and couldn’t stop praising the women’s efforts and victories on and off the court.

“Number one our bench has been a pleasant surprise,” Mitts said. “Two people in particular, Paige Christiansen and Nicole Greninger, both have stepped up their games and have really provided us a lot of confidence and depth. Wyketha Harrell is playing like every senior should. She plays with confidence, poise and consistency. Vonny Wilson, who didn’t play last year because of injury, has produced big numbers for us on the offensive and pulled out some clutch plays late in some ball games. Aubrie Hallman has provided everything we knew she could on both ends of the floor, and she’s just going to keep getting better and has really been a catalyst as well.”

The 11 women and four coaches with an undefeated record know the next challenge is just the next day.

“It’s important to take one game at a time,” Mitts said. “It’s easy to get carried away, I feel if we will take care of ourselves, if we start to have players who take complete ownership in the program and now that they see and understand what it looks like to get there and now understand what it will take to stay there; I feel very good about our last games of the semester.”

Saturday the Lions play Mitts’ old school, Rockhurst University at 5:30 p.m. at Leggett & Platt Athletic Center.

“That’s going to be a pretty good game because it’s coaches alma mater and she wants too win and we all want to win it for her,” Hallman said.

“We played Rockhurst two years ago and that’s where I formally coached and we were 7-0 at the time and they upset us,” Mitts said. “So this is the return game of that contract.”