GAME PREVIEWNCAA DIVISION II WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CENTRAL REGIONAL #3 Missouri Western (27-3) vs. #6 Arkansas Tech (26-3)Friday, March 11 – 8:30 p.m. John Lance Arena – Pittsburg, Kansas Live Stats | Live Audio | Live VideoMWSU Game Notes | Arkansas Tech Game Notes | Tournament Central ST. JOSEPH- For the first time since 2004, the Missouri Western women's basketball team will compete in the Division II Women's Basketball Championships. The Griffons open the central regional this Friday at Pittsburg State against Arkansas Tech.
MISSOURI WESTERN The Griffons sit at No. 10 in the USA TODAY Coaches' poll after a 26-2 regular season that ended with the program's first MIAA Championship since 2002. The team set a program record for regular season wins and its 20 conference wins are now an MIAA record.
LaQuinta Jefferson was named the MIAA Player of the Year and was a unanimous first team All-MIAA selection. She was joined on the all-conference team by
Sarafina Handy (second team),
Chelsea Dewey (honorable mention) and
Miliakere Koyamainavure (honorable mention).
Missouri Western is coming off a loss in the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament, 85-74, to Emporia State. Emporia State went on to win its fourth-straight MIAA Tournament championship, defeating Pittsburg State, 80-66, and earning the top-seed in this weekend's regional tournament.
Jefferson's scoring average has dropped after nursing a sore knee through the team's two MIAA Tournament games, but she still leads the team and MIAA, scoring 21 points per game.
Mhykeah Baez has asserted herself inside late in the season and leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game.
Chelsea Dewey has not missed a start in her Griffon career and leads the team with 3.8 assists per game. Handy's 2.3 three pointers per game are a team-high.
The Griffons are coached by
Rob Edmisson. Now in his fourth year at Missouri Western, Edmisson holds a 68-43 record at Missouri Western and a 157-151 overall record in his 20
th season as a collegiate head coach.
ARKANSAS TECHThe Golden Suns enter ranked 12
th in the USA TODAY Coaches' poll and are the six-seed in this weekend's regional after winning the GAC regular season and tournament championships. Arkansas Tech is 26-3 overall and went 21-1 in conference play. Currently on a seven-game winning streak, Arkansas Tech has not lost since a double-overtime defeat at Harding on Feb. 15. Prior to that blemish, the team had won 13 in a row.
GAC Player of the Year Fatima Adams leads the way for Arkansas Tech. The senior averages 22.5 points and 9.3 rebounds per game. Anissa Pounds was an All-GAC second team selection. Pounds averages 11.9 points per game and shoots 44.7 percent from three-point range.
Dave Wilbers is in his ninth year leading the program, carrying a 217-57 record at the school.
THE SERIESThe two programs have met just twice, and only once as NCAA opponents. The last meeting came in 2012 when then No. 13 Arkansas Tech won 81-75 at home. The first meeting came in the 1988 NAIA Bi-District playoffs, and 87-42 win for Arkansas Tech. While the programs are not familiar with one another, the coaches are. Edmisson and Wilbers' history dates back nearly 20 years. Edmisson was head coach at Hutchinson Community College from 1993-2002. During part of that time, Wilbers was an assistant at Seward Community College, where the two met on the court. They faced off again, both as assistants, during the 2002-03 and 2004-05 seasons. Edmisson was a women's assistant at Oklahoma State and Wilbers at Oral Roberts.
TOURNAMENT COVERAGEFriday's game and any other games Missouri Western plays in this weekend's regional can be heard on the Griffon Sports Network. Free live stats and video streaming will also be available for all games this weekend. The links for all three mediums can be found at the top of this page.
TICKETSAdult, all-session passes can be purchased for $30 through the Pittsburg State ticket office or by calling 620-235-4796. Single-session adult passes are also available for $10. Student and youth single-session passes are $3. Friday will be broken up into two sessions, so fans wishing to attend all four games will need to purchase two single-session passes or an all-session pass.
