Lewis Central grad Simmons learns by experience

AMES, Iowa — Every Missouri player in Tuesday's women's basketball game at Iowa State got a breather at some point, except for one.

Missouri point guard and Council Bluffs Lewis Central graduate Kyley Simmons played all 45 minutes in her team's 66-59 overtime loss. As a true freshman, Simmons is leading Missouri and is fourth in the Big 12 in minutes per game at 35.5. She is the only player to have started every game for the Tigers, who dropped to 11-15 overall and 1-14 in league play after the loss.

The 5-foot-7 Simmons also leads Missouri in 3-point percentage (.387; 29 of 75), assists (3.8) and steals (1.2). She ranks eighth in the league in assists.

"Coach (Robin Pingeton) expected a lot out of us freshmen coming in this season, but I didn't expect to play this much," Simmons said. "Part of the reason I came to Missouri, though, was for the chance for playing time right away, and it has been a great opportunity."

Pingeton likes the energy and fight Simmons brings to the court.

"It has been exciting to see her continue to grow and develop," Pingeton said. "She is having to play against the best of the best every night and is playing bigger than her size."

Simmons is breaking into the college game at its most difficult position to learn and in its strongest league — four Big 12 teams are in the top 15, according to realtimeRPI.com.

"I couldn't ask to play against better players," Simmons said. "The speed of the game is so much different than high school, and I'm playing against faster, stronger players. It's a great opportunity every night when you play against players like Odyssey Sims from Baylor."

Pingeton has been impressed with Simmons' contributions on both ends of the floor.

"She has had a good year for us," Pingeton said. "She has been a good defender for us and is making plays on offense as well."

Simmons' scoring numbers have risen as the season has progressed. She scored a career high against Iowa State in Columbia on Feb. 8 with 14 points, hitting four 3-pointers. That performance helped Simmons earn Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors. She scored 13 points against Kansas last Saturday in her team's lone conference win.

In Tuesday's game at Hilton Coliseum, Simmons hit treys on consecutive possessions to help Missouri build an early 10-3 lead. But the Tigers couldn't finish off the upset as Simmons finished with six points, four rebounds and two assists.

"I wish we would have won, but it was fun playing a little closer to home," Simmons said. "We ran into some foul trouble and had a couple of late breakdowns, though."

After playing in the Big 12 this season, the Tigers will be moving next season to another strong conference, the SEC. As Missouri transitions to a new league, Pingeton said she would like to see Simmons put on some weight and get stronger as her Tiger career continues.

"That is normally something that is important for freshmen to improve on after their first season," Pingeton said. "She also needs to become more consistent shooting the ball, which will help her create more shots for her teammates, too."

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