UPCOMING GAMES FOR GRIFFON MEN'S BASKETBALL
Sunday, Dec. 30, 3:00 p.m. vs. Illinois Springfield (7-3)
Thursday, Jan. 3, 7:30 p.m. at Central Oklahoma (6-4, 0-2 MIAA)
Saturday, Jan. 5, 3:30 p.m. at Northeastern State (6-4, 0-2 MIAA)
 
ST. JOSEPH – Griffon Men's Basketball (6-6, 0-2 MIAA) will host Illinois Springfield in non-conference play on Sunday before traveling to Oklahoma for a pair of MIAA road games.

 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR

• Illinois Springfield will be the seventh GLVC opponent the Griffons have played so far this season. The Griffons are 3-3 in those non-conference games.
• A win against the Prairie Stars on Sunday would give the Griffons their seventh win, which would surpass their win total from all of last season.
• The Griffons will have their hands full in trying to slow down Central Oklahoma's Adarius Avery. The Bronchos' big man is averaging 28 points over his last four games.
• The Griffons may have to make starting lineup adjustments after Tyree Martin suffered an injury in the team's win over Rockhurst. Martin had started five straight games before the injury.

 
SCOUTING THE GRIFFONS

• Lavon Hightower leads the team in scoring at 18.6 points per game. Hightower is also the team's leading rebounder at nearly eight boards per game.
• Missouri Western is defending the three-point line better than almost every other team in the MIAA. The Griffons are holding opponents to 29 percent shooting from distance, second in the conference.
• The Griffons average eight made three's per game.
• Bryan Hudson is the team's second leading scorer with 12 points per game on 54 percent shooting.

 
ILLINOIS SPRINGFIELD

• The Prairie Stars have won five straight games entering Sunday.
• The Prairie Stars have gone 0-2 in games against the MIAA this season. They lost to both Central Missouri and Northwest Missouri in November.
• The scoring duo of Gilwan Nelson and Peyton Allen accounts for an average of over 30 points per game.
• Cole Harper leads the team with an average of 7.5 rebounds per game.

 
CENTRAL OKLAHOMA

• The Bronchos are forcing 17 turnovers per game, best in the MIAA.
• Avery is third in the MIAA in scoring at 21 points per game. He is also second in the MIAA with 9.7 rebounds per game.
• The Bronchos are also the top free-throw shooting team in the conference at 81 percent.
• Ashford Golden is scoring 13 points per game for the Bronchos.

 
NORTHEASTERN STATE

• The RiverHawks are holding opponents to just 71 points per game, second in the MIAA.
• Northeastern State has had the rebounding advantage in most of its games, outrebounding opponents by over eight rebounds per game.
• Caleb Smith is the team's top scorer with nearly 16 points per game.
• Aaron Givens leads the team with seven rebounds per game.