Setting the Scene:
The Missouri Western men (6-11, 1-10 MIAA) will be looking for their first victory since Dec. 7, when they defeated then No. 1 Missouri Southern 75-67 at the MWSU Fieldhouse. The Griffons will try to snap the eight game losing streak in Emporia, Kan. against the Emporia State Hornets (8-9, 4-7) this Wednesday. Western is coming off a tough 69-67 loss in St. Joseph to Pittsburg State. The Griffons have lost five of their eight straight games by 11 or less points. The Hornets have lost three straight and six of their last seven games. Emporia State is 5-4 at home this year and 3-3 in MIAA play at home. ESU defeated the Griffons earlier this year by a score of 59-57 on December 3, 2011.
Scouting the Griffons:
Missouri Western enters Saturday afternoon last in the MIAA at 1-10 with an overall record of 6-11. The squad started 4-0 in non-conference play before dropping 11 of its next 12 games. The Griffons are led by three players in double-figure scoring, including
TJ Johnson at 13.1 ppg,
James Harris and
Lavonte Douglas both at 12.3 and 12.0 ppg respectively. Each of the trio excels in another area, with Johnson shooting 44% with 12 blocks, Harris posting a team-high 3.1 assists/ game and Douglas ranking fourth in the MIAA in rebounding at 7.6 per contest. Missouri Western is 5-4 at home on the year, though just 1-5 in MIAA affairs. Western is 0-5 in MIAA road contests.
The Last time Western won in Emporia:
The last time the Griffons won in Emporia was on February 22, 2006 when they won 99-87. Jason Warren led the Griffons with 26 points on 10-12 shooting while J.R. Reed dumped in 23. Rickey Quarles and Demarius Bolds pitched in 17 and 16 respectively. Western shot 72.3-percent (34-47) for the game and 66.7-percent (14-21) from long range. The Hornets were led by Leroy Dawson with 23 points making 9-of-11 free throw attempts.
The Series:
Missouri Western holds the series edge 41-27 , but are 17-16 in games played in Emporia. MWSU has won the last four of the last five games against the Hornets in the fieldhouse but have lost the last five in Emporia. Western holds a 25-10 lead in games play in the fieldhouse. This will be the 69th meeting between the Hornets and the Griffons. MWSU is look for their first victory in Emporia since February 22, 2006.
The Coaches vs. Each program:
Head Coach
Tom Smith is 30-14 all-time against the Hornets and 17-4 at home against the Hornets. Smith is 1-0 on a neutral court and 12-10 in Emporia, Kan. at White Auditorium. Head Coach Shawn Vandiver is in is first season with the Hornets and it will mark the second meeting between the two coaches. He won his first ever game against the Griffons this season. The Griffons won the only MIAA Tournament game between the two schools on March 5, 2004 by a score of 86-80.
Scoring 50 or less points in the Smith Era:
The Griffons have scored 50 or less points just four times in the Smith era with two of the coming this season. Before this season the last time the scored under 50 points was in the MIAA tournament when they fell 56-43 against Washburn on March 6, 2010. The only other time Smith team scored 50 or less was in the 1993-1994 season when they fell 69-50 at Northwest Missouri State.
Losses When Holding Opposing Team to Under 60 points:
The Griffons have only lost 13 games all-time when holding an opponent to under 60 points. Under head coach
Tom Smith they have only lost two games holding an opponent under 60 points. Western's first loss under Smith was against Northwest Missouri State on January 5, 2005 by a score of 58-54 in Maryville. The last loss was last Saturday when they fell 59-57 at home against Emporia. This marks just the seventh home game they have lost when giving up under 60 points. The first ever loss was in 1975-76 when they fell 53-52 at Missouri Southern.
