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ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - The Missouri Western women's basketball team opens up a new era this weekend with two non-conference games. The Griffons open up the season on Friday, November 9 in Kansas City, Mo. to take on Division I opponent Missouri-Kansas City. Game time is set for 6:00 pm in Swinney Recreation Center. MWSU will turnaround on Saturday and take on the 7th ranked Metropolitan State Roadrunners out of Denver. Tip time is set for 7:30 pm from the MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph, Mo.

Opening Tip
Date: Nov. 9, 2012 & Nov. 10, 2012
Time: 6:00 pm & 7:30 pm
Location: Kansas City, Mo. & St. Joseph, Mo.
Arena: Swinney Recreation Center (1,500) & MWSU Fieldhouse (3,250)
Radio: Griffon Sports Network (KFEQ 680 AM St. Joseph and KMRN 1360 AM Cameron)
Online Radio: Through www.gogriffons.com (free)
Twitter Updates: twitter.com/gogriffons
Series: UMKC leads 7-3 & First meeting with Metro State

Griffon Notes
• This marks the 37th season of Griffons women's basketball
• The Griffons will be under first year head coach Rob Edmisson who became the eighth head coach in Griffons history on March 29, 2012
• Edmisson is coming off of an NAIA National Championship at Oklahoma State University.
• This marks the 11th meeting all-time against the Kangaroos and the first meeting with the Metro State Roadrunners who are coming off an NCAA Division II Sweet 16 apperance.
• The last game against the Kangaroos was the 1986-1987 when the Griffons fell 82-77 in overtime in the NAIA District 16 Tournament.
• The Griffons bring eight new faces to the team this season.
• The Griffons are coming off of a 7-20 overall season and a 5-15 mark in MIAA play. The Griffons lost in the opening round of the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City, Mo. against Washburn.
• MWSU will have to try and replace the Griffons all-time leading scorer in Jessica Koch. She left the program scoring with 1,776 points.
• The Griffons were picked to finish 11th in the MIAA coaches preseason poll and 12th in the MIAA media preseason poll.

GRIFFONS IN SEASON AND HOME SEASON OPENERS
• In season openers the Griffons are 23-13. The Griffons are 16-6 at home in season operners, 1-1 on the road and 6-6 on a nuetral floor.
• The Griffons have opened up the season once with the University of Missouri-Kansas City.
• The Griffons lost to UMKC 83-66 on a neutral floor in the 1984-1985 season.
• The last time the Griffons won a season opener was on November 16, 2007 against Texas Woman's University by a score of 86-82 in Emporia, Kan.
• In home openers the Griffons are 26-10 all-time.
• The Griffons last victory in a home opener came on November 27, 2010 when they defeated the Rockhurst Hawks 74-52.
• Last season the Griffons fell to the 91-68 on November 12, 2011 against the Quincy Hawks.

THE COACHES
Missouri Western Head Basketball Coach Rob Edmisson
• He is in his 1st season at the helm of the Griffons
• He is 404-120 in 16 season as a college coach
• He is coming off of an NAIA National Championship at Oklahoma City University
• He has never had a losing season in his years of coaching
• He was the2008, 2010 and 2012 SAC coach of the year
• Edmisson has guided 38 all-conference players, including four newcomer of the year award winners, two defensive players of the year, the sportsmanship award winner and three SAC player of the year honorees.
• Edmisson also mentored the program's first WNBA draftee, Mariam Sy, who was also the NAIA Tournament most valuable player, and six others who turned professional.
• Off the floor, each player Edmisson has coached at OCU has graduated and four were NAIA scholar-athlete award winners.

Missouri Kansas City Head Coach Marsha Frese
• Named as the Kangaroo head coach on April 25, 2012, Frese brings 15 seasons of experience as a Division-I player and coach to the UMKC campus.
• Prior to her arrival in Kansas City, Frese was the Associate Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator at Northern Illinois University.
• A perimeter coach, Fre se's team led the MAC in three-point shooting and ranked tenth in the nation at 37.6 percent.
• Began her coaching career as an assistant at Ball State from 1999-2001
• After her first stint at Ball State, Frese provided an immediate impact in her next role as assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at Minnesota.
• As a player, Frese excelled on both the high school and college levels. A former Miss Iowa Basketball, Frese helped Cedar Rapids Washington High School to the 1988 Iowa state title. During her prep career, she led the state in scoring twice (1989 and 1990) and was named 1990 Miss Iowa Basketball by both USA Today and Gatorade Circle of Champions. A two-time first team All-State selection, Frese finished her high school career as one of the all-time leading scorers in Iowa history.
• At Rice, Frese tore up the nets, lettering all four years and finishing her career ranked sixth in three-pointers made. She also left with the Rice school record for best three- point field goal percentage in a single season.

Metro State Head Coach Tanya Haave
• Tanya Haave will begin her third season as the head coach at Metro State in 2012-13. She has led Metro State to its two most successful seasons in school history, posting the top two win totals and winning percentages, and putting together the only two teams that have won NCAA Tournament games. In addition to the postseason runs, Metro has won the RMAC regular season title both seasons. Haave was named RMAC Coach of the Year both seasons.
• Before Metro State, Haave spent four years as a Division I head coach at the University of San Francisco.  Prior to her four years at USF, Haave coached in the Denver area for seven seasons. She spent her first three seasons coaching at Regis University as an assistant from 1999-2001, helping the Rangers to three winning seasons.
• Haave is a native of Evergreen, Colo., and finished her prep career at Evergreen High School as one of the most decorated high school athletes in state history. She became the first woman in Colorado history to earn the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame High School Athlete of the Year award and was also the 1980 Sportswoman of the Year by the Sportswomen of Colorado. In 2004, she was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame.

Up Next
• The Griffons open up a four game road swing next weekend with two games. MWSU will take on the University of Illinois-Springfield on Friday, November 16 in Springfield, Ill. Game time is at 5:30 pm. The Griffons will then travel to St. Louis, Mo. to take on Maryville University. Game time is scheduled for 6:00 pm on Saturday, November 17.