GAME PREVIEW
#10 Missouri Western (16-0, 10-0 MIAA) at #9 Emporia State (14-2, 8-2 MIAA)
Saturday, Jan. 16 – 1:30 p.m.
White Auditorium – Emporia, Kansas
 
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ST. JOSEPH – The undefeated and 10^th ranked Missouri Western Women's Basketball team will square off in a regular season matchup of top-10 teams for the first time since 2007 on Saturday when the Griffons travel to No. 9 Emporia State.
 
It may have been a while, but Missouri Western handled itself well in that last marquee game, knocking off No. 1 Washburn as the second ranked team in the country, 49-47 in St. Joseph. The win was later vacated by the NCAA, but still stands as the program's last time facing off with another top-10 team during the regular season. This time around, Missouri Western enters in the midst of the program's best ever start at 16-0 and 10-0 in the MIAA after a 69-56 win at Washburn Wednesday night. It will be the fourth straight time Missouri Western faces a top-10 ranked Emporia State team. Last season, 10^th ranked Emporia State ended the Griffons season at the MIAA Tournament. Earlier last season, MWSU lost 57-56 in St. Joseph to then No. 1 Emporia State. Missouri Western has dropped the last six and has not won in Emporia since 2004.
 
The Griffons sit atop the MIAA standings, one game ahead of No. 3 Fort Hays State, which is one of two teams to defeat Emporia State this season. Emporia State sits third in the standings, currently on a six-game winning streak that has seen the team outscore its opponents by an average of 29.5 points per game. Emporia State hasn't won by less than 11 points on its current streak, including a 42-point win over Northwest Missouri State Wednesday night. Missouri Western enters Saturday's game leading the MIAA with a +25.2 scoring margin. Emporia State is second in the conference, outscoring opponents by 21.2 points this season. The two teams rank together in the top-five of 10 MIAA statistical categories. One of the two ranks in the top-five of every team statistical category kept by the MIAA.
 
TOP-10 IN THE STANDINGS; TOP-5 IN THE MIAA
Scoring Offense................ MWSU (86.8-1st) ESU (81.2-2nd)
Scoring Defense................ESU (60-1st) MWSU 61.6 (5th)
Scoring Margin................. MWSU (25.2-1st) ESU (21.2-2nd)
FG %...............................MWSU (50-1st) ESU (44.7-3rd)
FG% Defense...................ESU (36.6-2nd) MWSU (38.4-4th)
3-pt%...............................MWSU (38.6-1st) ESU (37.4-2nd)
3-pt% Defense..................MWSU (26.8-1st) ESU (27.4-2nd)
Rebounding Margin............ESU (+13.3-1st) MWSU (+3.3-3rd)
Assist/Turnover ratio.........ESU (1.21-2nd) MWSU (1.04-5th)
Assists............................MWSU (15.75-1st) ESU (15.69-2nd)
 
LOOKING AT MISSOURI WESTERN
Missouri Western is officially off to the best start in program history. The team has matched the 1994-95 team's 10-0 MIAA start for the second best conference opening in program history. That team went on to finish 15-1 in MIAA play and win the program's second-straight MIAA Regular Season Championship. The 1993-94 season stands as the program's best in the MIAA, winning all 16 league games and the program's first ever MIAA Regular Season Championship.
 
LaQuinta Jefferson leads the MIAA in scoring by two points per game (23.4). The senior guard has taken home four MIAA Athlete of the Week honors this season and entered this week third in the nation in scoring. The senior guard is shooting 58.7 percent from the field, leading the MIAA and ranking 6^th in the nation at the beginning of the week. Sarafina Handy has scored 15 or more in six-straight games to bring her season scoring average to 15.4 points per game, ninth best in the MIAA. Handy's 50.3 field goal percentage ranks fifth in the MIAA and her 41.7 three-point percentage is second best in the league. The senior also ranks third in the MIAA, shooting 85.7 percent at the free throw line. Jefferson and Handy aren't the Griffons' only double-digit scorers. Miliakere Koyamainavure is averaging 11.7 points per game and leads the team, averaging 5.4 rebounds per game. The scoring doesn't stop with Koyamainavure, either. Julia Torres averages 8.2 points per game with Chelsea Dewey and Mhykea Baez each averaging 7.9.
 
Missouri Western is coached by Rob Edmisson. He is in his fourth year leading the Griffons, currently holding a 57-40 record during his time in St. Joseph. Overall, Edmisson is 446-148 as a head coach. Before coming to MWSU, Edmisson won a NAIA National Championship in his seventh season at Oklahoma City University. He spent nine years as the head coach at Hutchison Community College before going to Oklahoma City.  
 
LOOKING AT EMPORIA STATE
Kelly Moten leads the Lady Hornets, scoring 17.1 points per game, good for fifth in the MIAA. Moten is shooting 50.8 percent from the field, fourth in the MIAA. Moten leads the MIAA with 4.9 assists per game. Sandra Ngoie's 46.8 three-point percentage leads the MIAA and she averages 2.3 made threes a game to go along with her 7.7 rebounds per game. Kathryn Flott is Emporia State's leading rebounder, she ranks fifth in the MIAA with 7.8 per game.
 
Jory Collins is in his sixth year as head coach at Emporia State. He posted 20-win seasons in his first five years on the job, the first to accomplish for the Lady Hornets. Last season, Emporia State won its third straight MIAA Tournament Championship and advanced to the regional final for the fourth straight season, eventually making it to the national semifinals.