St. JOSEPH, Mo. - Missouri Western will look to get back in the win column Saturday afternoon against Missouri Southern. The Griffons will be back on the road next week for two straight games to finish up the month of January.

THE GRIFFONS
Missouri Western fell last week at Southwest Baptist, 65-62 after a chance to tie the game rimmed in and out.

The Griffons remain in the top half of the MIAA in scoring, averaging 72.2 points per game and hold a +5.5 scoring margin this season. Another strong point for the Griffons has been outrebounding opponents, averaging 38.1 rebounds per game. Missouri Western ranks fifth in the conference in turnover margin at +1.93 per game.

The MIAA's leading scorer continues to be LaQuinta Jefferson, averaging 21.5 points per game and hitting 50% of her shots. Milliakere Koyamainavure had a career high 16 points against Southwest Baptist last Saturday. She now averages 8.7 points and 5.2 rebounds per game. The Griffons three-point specialist, Sarafina Handy has cashed in on 43 total three-pointers this season to lead the MIAA.

MISSOURI SOUTHERN STATE LIONS
Missouri Southern State comes into Saturday riding a four-game winning streak after losing four straight prior to that. MSSU just got past Northwest Missouri Wednesday night, winning 60-59.

The Lions are one of the top defensive teams in the conference, limiting their opponents to an average of 55.9 points per game. They have a +14.1 scoring margin this season. MSSU is ranked first in the MIAA in free throw percentage at 78 percent and second in three-point percentage at 37 percent. Missouri Southern averages 37.3 rebounds per game and hold their opponents to just 29.7 rebounds, the lowest in the league.Sharese Jones sits eighth in the conference in scoring with 14.9 points per game. She also leads the team with 7.1 rebounds per game. MSSU's Nicole Hartzog averages 12.8 points per game and has hit on 48 percent of her shots.

LAST YEAR'S MEETINGS
MWSU 50, MSSU 65 at Joplin, Mo. on 01/25/2014
MWSU 61, MSSU 68 at St. Joseph, Mo.. on 02/15/2014

CENTENNIAL MOMENT
1993-94: The women's basketball team took a huge leap under second-year coach Jeff Mittie. MWSU went 16-0 in the MIAA that year and finished with a 29-3 record after advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight. Tonya Foster was named MIAA Player-of-the-Year and Amy Towne was named MIAA Freshman-of-the-Year.

STUDENT-ATHLETE ACADEMIC HONORS
Saturday, Griffon Athletics will honor the academic success of Griffon student-athletes from calendar year 2014. Student-athletes on the Athletics Director's Honor Roll 
(semester GPA of 3.0 or higher) will be recognized during halftime of the women's game, while those on the Dean's List (semester GPA of 3.5 or higher) and President's Honor Roll (4.0 semester GPA) will be recognized during halftime of the men's game.

MAKE-A-WISH SILENT AUCTION 
In conjunction with Honor's Day, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee will be conducting a silent auction in the practice gym to raise funds for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.  Items include gift certificates to area businesses and restaurants, Griffon gear and more.