Pitt State Basketball

John Lance Arena

The Pittsburg State University Gorillas make their home in John Lance Arena, which also is affectionately known as The Pitt and The Jungle.

The Gorillas truly have built a decisive home court advantage in John Lance Arena by posting a 144-33 (.814) record on the court in 13 seasons under head coach Gene Iba. Pittsburg State won a school record 40 straight games in The Pitt, before losing a heartbreaker, 76-74, to Truman State University in the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament on February 24, 1999.

Each of the last 10 seasons, the Pittsburg State University campus and Pittsburg community have rallied behind the Gorillas to help them rank among the top 30 schools in NCAA Division II for home-court attendance. The Pitt State men have averaged 2,102 fans in their last 135 home games and 2,526 fans in their 91 MIAA home games (regular season & post season) in the last 10 years.

John Lance Arena is named in honor of legendary head coach John Lance, who won 582 games during his illustrious career at Pittsburg State and 656 games overall.

Lance, a candidate for enshrinement into the College Basketball Hall of Fame, led the Gorillas to an amazing 47 consecutive victories during one stretch of his 40-year tenure that spanned from 1923 until 1963. PSU was 20-0 during the 1929-30 campaign and 21-0 the following year. The streak finally ended in the seventh game of the 1931-32 season when the Gorillas were defeated by Henry Iba's Northwest Missouri State University squad, 20-18.

Pittsburg State began play at John Lance Arena during the 1971-72 season. The Gorillas posted a 69-67 victory against Missouri Southern State College in the first game played on the John Lance Arena hardwood on Dec. 4, 1971. PSU has compiled a 331-150 (.688) overall record in the facility.

Home floor success has been strong throughout the history of the PSU program. Prior to John Lance Arena, the Gorillas played 49 seasons in College Gymnasium, located between the present site of Yates Hall and the Jack Overman Student Center. During those years (1923-71), PSU posted a 394-130 (.752) record in the facility. Prior to that time, PSU posted a 50-31 (.617) home record between 1909-22. All told, PSU has compiled a 775-311 all-time home record, winning 71.4 percent of its 1,086 home games.

John Lance Arena (Records/Milestones)

Overall Home Record: 331-150 (.688)

Win No. 1:   vs. Missouri Southern (69-67), Dec. 4, 1971
Win No. 100: vs. Evangel (86-67), Jan. 12, 1985
Win No. 200: vs. Park (97-89), Jan. 10, 1997
Win No. 250: vs. Missouri Western (84-82), Feb. 2, 2000
Win No. 300: vs. Central Missouri (95-86), Jan. 29, 2005

Decade By Decade
1970s: 67- 32 (.677)   1990s: 100- 34 (.746)
1980s: 72- 57 (.558)   2000s: 92- 27 (.773)

Consecutive Home Wins: 40 (Jan. 10, 1997-Feb. 22, 1999)
Consecutive Home Losses:
5, five times, most recently: Jan. 21, 1987 - Jan. 31, 1987

Most Lopsided Home Win: 110-45, vs. Calvary Bible (Dec. 2, 2003)
Most Lopsided Home Loss: 88-55, vs. Washburn (Jan. 25, 1980)

Best Home Record (season): 16-0, 1998-99