The final week of the basketball season will determine a lot for the Missouri Southern women’s basketball team when it comes to postseason play.

The Lions enter the final week with a 11-8 mark in league play.

However, with one game left, the team can finish as high as third or finish as low as sixth depending on what happens with other games throughout the week.

Southern has already secured a spot in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association’s postseason tournament in Kansas City next week, but the seeds are still up in the air.

As it stands now, the Lions will play Central Missouri in the opening round.

Wednesday the Lions played Nebraska-Omaha in a 68-57 loss.

They will face Northwest Missouri on Saturday at 1 p.m.

Senior Guard Myosha Barnes led the Lions with 20 points.

“It does not matter who you play in the MIAA, you have to play well,” Missouri Southern coach Maryann Mitts said. “The last two games we have played 30 minutes of the game and those other 10 minutes is what really determined the basketball game.

“This week we must play 40 minutes of solid basketball. Obviously we have a great opportunity in front of us.

“Every game has big implications and we have a lot to play for, not only regionally, but for the conference.”

The Lions open the week with a 17-8 record and are currently sitting No. 7 in the regional poll.

On paper, the season finale against the Lady Bearcats should favor MSSU. The Lions won the first meeting, 64-47, on the road Jan. 21.

Southern had three players score in double figures in that game, led by Myosha Barnes’ 19 points.

Meghan Brue scored 17 points for the Lady Bearcats in the loss.

Northwest Missouri is 8-17 overall and only 4-14 in the league. NWMSU has lost 10 of its last 12 games and on top of that, the Lady Bearcats are 0-9 on the road in league games.

Brue is 8th in the MIAA in scoring with 14.4 points per game and leads her team with 6.9 rebounds per game.

NWMSU also has two other player scoring a little more than 11 points a game in Jessica Burton and Rickeya McElroy.

Southern’s Barnes and India Wood are currently 13th and 15th, respectively, in scoring average in the MIAA.

“We need to focus on the little things,” Mitts said. “We can finish anywhere from third to sixth place. You obviously want to finish in the top three in conference because of the regional implications.”

The MIAA Championships will be held March 5-8 and Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.