The Griffons (7-15, 2-14) look to snap a four-game skid and improve the team's MIAA tournament chances when it travels to Lincoln (3-13, 3-19) and Truman State (7-17, 4-12) this week. The Griffons first travel to Jefferson City to face the Blue Tigers on Wednesday, Feb. 15, then its off to Kirksville to take on the Bulldogs on Saturday, Feb. 18. Western needs to avoid season sweeps against both opponents to leap frog the teams in the MIAA standings.
Lincoln currently sits one game ahead of the Griffons in 10th place, while the Bulldogs are two games up and tied with Emporia State for eighth place. Western needs to get into eigth place in order to earn a trip to Kansas City for the MIAA Tournament. Western will have to overcome MIAA road struggles, with the team's only conference road win coming on Jan. 25 at Emporia State.
Scouting the Griffons:
The Griffons continue to play tough defense, holding its opponents to just 67 points per game. The team's struggles have been on the offensive end, averaging just 64.5 points a game. Western has kept it close all season, trailing opponents by just 2.5 points a game on the season. Eleven games have been decided by two posessions or less, and the Griffons have been on the losing end of eight of those tilts.
James Harris (13 ppg) leads the Griffons with
Lavonte Douglas' 12.5 ppg not far behind.
TJ Johnson (12.2) is the only other Griffon averaging double digit points. Douglas' 7.9 rebounds per game lead the team by over two and a half, and rank him fourth in the MIAA.
The Series:
Wednesday is the 30th meeting between the Griffons and Blue Tigers, with Western holding a 25-4 advantage all-time. Lincoln won the first matchup this season in St. Joseph, overcoming a double-digit second half deficit.
The Bulldogs and Griffons dual for the 62nd time on Saturday. Truman has won the last two matchups, but the Griffons hold a 37-24 lead in the series overall.
Developing Defense:
Truman's 87 points on Jan. 11 and Missouri Southern's 85 on Feb. 4 are the only opponent point totals over 70 since 2011 allowed by the Griffons.
Prior to the New Year, Western had allowed three opponents (St. Mary's, Pitt. State and Washburn) to score over 70.
Western's defense ranks fifth in the MIAA in points allowed per game. Western's opponents are shooting just over 43 percent from the field and just under 33 percent from behind the arc.
Double-Doubles:
The Missouri Western men's basketball team has three players who have recorded double-doubles this season.
Lavonte Douglas has recorded five Justin “Juice” Reid has two and
TJ Johnson has recorded one. Douglas has six in his career and Johnson has three.
MISSOURI WESTERN at LINCOLN UNIVERSITY
Date/Time: Wednesday, Feb. 15, 7:30 pm
Location: Jefferson City, Mo., Jason Gym
Radio: AM 680 KFEQ and online at gogriffons.com
Series: 25-4 MWSU
Record in the St. Joseph: 15-2 MWSU
Record in Jefferson City: 9-1 MWSU
Neutral: 1-1 Tie
Last 10: 9-2 MWSU
Overall Meeting: 30th
Smith vs. LU: 25-4
Redmond vs. MWSU: 1-3
Series Notes: Lincoln won its fourth ever in the all-time series earlier this season.
MISSOURI WESTERN at TRUMAN STATE UNIVERSITY
Date/Time: Saturday, Feb. 18, 3:00 pm
Location: Kirksville, Mo., Pershing Arena
Radio: AM 680 KFEQ and online at gogriffons.com
Series: 37-24 MWSU
Record in the St. Joseph: 19-11 MWSU
Record in Pershing: 18-12 MWSU
Neutral: 1-1 Tie
Last 10: 6-5 MWSU
Overall Meeting: 62nd
Smith vs. TSU: 35-11
Woodley vs. MWSU: 1-0
