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ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - After navigating through the MIAA's upper tier teams in road tilts, the Griffons got a much needed victory last Saturday over Southwest Baptist 73-63 in the fieldhouse.  Three players scored in double figures led by 14 points from Quenisha Lockett while Sharience Lewis had 12 and Jalissa Lewis 11.  With the win, the Griffons are now 6-9 overall and 2-7 in MIAA play. The Griffons return to action this week with their final non-conference game on Tuesday, January 21 against Missouri Valley College at 6:00 pm in the fieldhouse. The Griffon return to MIAA action on Saturday, January 25 for an MIAA tilt with the Missouri Southern Lions in Joplin, Mo. Game time is set for 1:00 pm in Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. 

Griffon Notes
• This marks the 38th season of Griffons women's basketball
• The Griffons will be under 2nd year head coach Rob Edmisson who guided the Griffons to a 16-12 overall record and 8-10 in MIAA play. The Griffons went 1-1 in the MIAA tournament a year ago defeating Pittsburg State 71-67 and falling to #13 Central Missouri 54-53.
• The Griffons have struggled away from the fieldhouse this season falling in six of their seven road games which includes going 0-4 in MIAA play. The Griffons only road win of the season came against the Rockhurst Hawks on November 23 by a score of 63-59.
• On the other hand the Griffons have been pretty good at home going 5-2 in the fieldhouse and 2-2 in MIAA play in the fieldhouse. They beat the UNK Lopers in MIAA play back on January 6 but fell to Fort Hays State and Washburn. They also beat the Southwest Baptist Bearcats 73-63 last Saturday in the fieldhouse.
• Edmisson won a NAIA National Championship at Oklahoma State University in 2011-12.
• Wednesday's meeting was the 9th meeting with the Missouri Valley Vikings. The Griffons are 7-1 going 4-0 at home 3-1 on the road and 1-0 on a neutral floor.
• Saturday's meeting will mark the 75th all-time game against the Missouri Southern Lions. The Griffons lost last years meeting 78-76 in Joplin on January 5.
• When the Griffons have at least one player score in double figures they are 5-8 on the season. When they don't have a player score in double figures they are 1-1.
• In two years under Edmisson the Griffons are 8-13 in road games and 2-12 in road MIAA games. They are 14-5 overall in home games and 8-5 in home MIAA games.
• Since 1988-89 the Griffons are 2-2 on January 21 with one win vacated due to NCAA violations. They are 1-1 at home and 1-1 on the road with one win vacated due to NCAA violations. The last time they played a team on the 21 was in 2012 when they fell at home against #15 Pittsburg State 86-68.
• Since 1988-89 the Griffons are 3-2 on January 25. They are 3-1 at home with and 0-1 on the road. The last game on January 25 was in 2012 when they fell 73-65 against the #17 Emporia State in Emporia, Kan.
• This season the Griffons return eight players from a season ago and bring in nine new players which include six junior college transfers and three freshman.
• The Griffons were picked to finish 8th in both the Coaches and Media MIAA Preseason polls.

Coaches vs. Each Program - MVC:
This marks the first meeting for either coach against both programs.

Series vs. the Vikings:
This will mark the 9th overall meeting with the Vikings. The Griffons are 7-1 against Missouri Valley going 4-0 at home, 3-1 on the road and 1-0 on a neutral floor. The last meeting between the two schools was in 1987-88 when the Griffons defeated the Vikings at home by a score of 72-62.

The Coaches vs. Each Program - MSSU:
This marks the second meeting with coach Rob Edmisson with the Lions as he sits 0-1 overall after last seasons loss in Joplin. This marks the first meeting for Ronda Hubbard since being promoted to head coach for the Lions.

Series vs. the Lions:
The Lions and the Griffons have met 78 times on the hardwood in the history of the two schools, almost twice yearly since the first meeting, an 83-62 Griffon victory during the 1976-77 season. Missouri Western holds a 49-25 advantage over the Lions, including an outstanding 29-7 record in the MWSU Fieldhouse. When on the road, the stakes are a little more evenly matched, with Lions holding a 20-17 advantage. In games played at a neutral site, the Griffons are 3-0 all time against the Lions. Missouri Western had to vacate two victories against the Lions back in the 2006-2007 season due to NCAA violations. One at home and one on the road.

Struggles at the Free Throw Line
The Griffons have struggled at the free throw line  shooting just 59.0-percent (213-361) on the season. Just two Griffons are shooting better than 70-percent on the season. In their last victory against Southwest Baptist the Griffons made 16-of-22 free throws all of which were in the second half.

Struggles on the Road
The Griffons have made just 53.0-percent (80-151) of their free throws on the road. They are also getting outscored 68.9 to 59.1 and outrebounded 38 to 36.3. The shoot just 28.1-percent (32-114) form long range and 38.0-percent (151-397) from the field. The only player scoring in double figures on the road is Quenisha Locket averaging 10.9 points per game.

Balanced Attack
The Griffons have three active players who average 6.0 points per game or more and have eight active players who play 13 or more minutes a game. The Griffons do not have one player scoring in double figures. Ten different Griffons scored in the Griffons victory over the Southwest Baptist Bearcats.

Rebounding Success
The Griffons have had success rebounding the ball this season averaging nearly 2.8 more rebounds per game than their opponents. They have 44 more offensive rebounds on the season. Tiara Hall and Quenisha Lockett lead the way with 6.9 and 6.1 rebounds per game respectively. Against SBU they had 41 rebounds to the Bearcats 34. Both teams had 14 offensive rebounds.

Up Next
The Griffons return to action with two home games next week. On Wednesday, January 29 they host the Lincoln Blue Tigers before ending the week with a home contest against the Lindenwood Lions. Wednesday's game is scheduled to tip at 5:30 pm with Saturday's at 1:30 pm.