Missouri Western (7-11, 2-10 MIAA) vs. Washburn (13-6, 7-4 MIAA)
Saturday, January 28, 3:30 p.m.
MWSU Fieldhouse - St. Joseph, Mo.
Missouri Western (7-11, 2-10 MIAA) vs. #23 Fort Hays State (13-4, 7-4 MIAA)
Monday, January 30, 7:30 p.m.
Setting the Scene:
After snapping an eight game losing streak with a 72-66 victory in Emporia, Kan. on Jan. 25, the Missouri Western men (7-11, 2-10) return to the friendly confines of the MWSU Fieldhouse. First up for the Griffons is the Washburn Ichabods (13-6, 7-4) on Saturday, Jan. 28 at the fiedlhouse. The Ichabods defeated the Griffons 79-55 on Dec. 17 in Topeka. Western closes out January by hosting No. 23 Fort Hays (13-4, 7-4)on Monday, the 30th. The Griffons lost at then No. 10 Fort Hays, 66-53 on Dec. 10.
Scouting the Griffons:
The Griffons 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:
TJ Johnson at 13.2 ppg,
James Harris and
Lavonte Douglas both at 11.8 ppg. 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 1-5 in MIAA road contests.
Bods and Tigers in the MWSU Fieldhouse:
The Griffons have a four game winning streak against Washburn in St. Joseph. The Bods last win at the fieldhouse came on Jan. 27, 2007, 77-62. The last time the two met at MWSU, the Griffons posted its highest point total of the season, winning 103-82 Dec. 19, 2010.
The fielhouse has proved to be a house of horrors for top-10 Fort Hays teams. The No. 3 Tigers fell 75-69 on Feb. 2, 2010 and the No. 6 Tigers were upset 78-77 on Dec. 11, 2010, the team's last two trips to St. Joseph.
The Coaches vs. Each program:
Tom Smith is 27-25 all-time against the Ichabods, while Washburn head coach Bob Chipman is 39-29 all-time
against the Griffons. Coach Smith is 14-8 all time in the fieldhouse against the Ichabods and just 9-15 in Lee Arena. The
two teams have met seven times in the MIAA Tournament with the Griffons leading 4-3.
Smith is 6-8 against the Tigers. Fort Hays head coach Mark Johnson is 7-5 all-time against the Griffons.
