MIAA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS – FIRST ROUND
Wednesday, March 6, 6:00 p.m. vs. Nebraska-Kearney (15-13, 8-11 MIAA)
 
ST. JOSEPH – After wrapping up the regular-season schedule last week, Missouri Western (13-15, 8-11 MIAA) travels to Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium for the first round of the MIAA Championships on Wednesday. The Griffons will face off against eighth-seeded Nebraska-Kearney in their first postseason game.
 
WHAT TO WATCH FOR

• The Griffons will play Nebraska-Kearney in the opening round for the second consecutive season. Last season, Missouri Western became the first-ever No. 12 seed to win a game at the MIAA Championships, topping the fifth-seeded Lopers 60-57.
• Missouri Western has had success in recent first-round games at the MIAA Championships. The Griffons are 4-1 in their last five first-round contests.
• Wednesday will be a rematch of Nebraska-Kearney's 63-53 win on Jan. 26. Nebraska-Kearney led by as much as 15 before the Griffons managed to pull within just four. The Lopers pulled away in the final minutes and held the Griffons to a season-low 25 percent shooting in the game.
• Katrina Roenfeldt has elevated her scoring production since the teams' first matchup at Nebraska Kearney. The junior guard has averaged 19.5 points per game in the 10 games since the team's loss to the Lopers.
• Most of the offensive focus in Wednesday's matchup will be in the paint. Missouri Western and Nebraska-Kearney are two of the bottom three teams in the MIAA in three-point attempts per game.

 
MISSOURI WESTERN NOTES

• Along with leading the Griffons in scoring, Roenfeldt is also the team-leader in rebounds per game (5.1) and minutes per game (33.8).
• Missouri Western is second in the MIAA with a 3.43 average turnover margin.
• The Missouri Western offense scores an average of 65 points per game.
• Point guard Melia Richardson is averaging 2.5 assists per game to go along with her 8.5 points per game.
• Jessica Davies is one of just three players on the team to play in all 28 games and leads the team with a 54 percent field-goal percentage.

 
SCOUTING NEBRASKA-KEARNEY

• Despite finishing eighth in the conference, Nebraska-Kearney has one of the top defenses in the MIAA, limiting opponents to 61 points per game on just 37 percent shooting.
• The Lopers have a very balanced offensive attack, with four different players averaging 10 points per game.
• Nebraska-Kearney has struggled outside of its home arena, going just 4-7 in those games compared to 11-6 at home.
• The Lopers tend to have the rebounding advantage in most games, pulling down over 39 boards per game.
• Shiloh McCool ranks in the top-10 in the MIAA with seven rebounds per game.