ST. JOSEPH – Griffon Men's Basketball (3-0, 3-0 MIAA) travels to Northeastern State (1-2, 1-2 MIAA), a game that was originally scheduled for November 21^st, but was postponed due to COVID protocols on the RiverHawks team. The Griffons enter on the heels of a 100-81 victory over Central Missouri to have its best MIAA start since 1998-99. The game will mark the 13^th matchup between the two teams.  
 
 PREVIEWING THE GRIFFONS

• MWSU begins the season coming off their highest MIAA finish in a decade (4th place).
• Return 11 players from a season ago, including four starters, 75% of scoring, and nine players who averaged more than 10 minutes per game including 1st Team All-MIAA guard Tyrell Carroll (17 points per game) and MIAA Freshman of the Year Will Eames.
• Missouri Western was ranked fifth in the MIAA preseason poll.
• MWSU Head Coach Will Martin enters his first season at the helm after spending the last two seasons as the program's assistant coach.
• Last game, MWSU defeated Central Missouri 100-81 to become 3-0, 3-0 MIAA. 
• The Griffons have not started 3-0 in conference play since the 1998-99 season (22-7, 14-2 MIAA) to which that team won the MIAA Regular Season Championship.
• Overall, MWSU has only started a season 4-0 or better 14 times, in which the last time was the 2011-12 season.
• Tyrell Carroll who has 31 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and four steals in the first two games, missed the UCM game due to an injury and is questionable for this game. 
• Sophomore, Will Eames, leads the team in scoring and rebounds averaging almost a double/double per game at 15.7 points and 9 rebounds per game. He shoots 38% from the field, 41% from the three point arc, and 75% at the free-throw line. 
• Q Mays recorded his first start as a Griffon against UCM and has been a model of consistency averaging 13 points, 6 rebounds and 2 assists per game.
• Through three games, the Griffon team statistics are quite impressive as they lead the MIAA in the following categories: points scored per game (85.7), field goal percentage defense (37%), rebounds (42 per game), turnover margin (+5 per game)
• The match-up vs Northeastern State will be the 13th all-time meeting, with MWSU leading the overall series 8-4. The Griffons have won the last three matchups with a margin of victory no larger than five points for each game.

 SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN STATE

• In the preseason coaches' poll, Northeastern State University was ranked 13th, eight spots behind MWSU.
• Northeastern State enters the contest on the heels of a 81-71 road loss to Pittsburg State.
• NSU adds three true freshmen and four transfers to the roster this season.
• Senior, Caleb Williams, leads the RiverHawks in scoring averaging at 18 points per game. He has a field goal percentage of 43% (16-37) and shoots 47% (8-17) from the three-point line
• Junior transfers, Trey Sampson and Rashad Perkins have been very impactful. Sampson did not play in the first game but, has averaged 12.5 points in the last two games, recording eight rebounds and three steals. Perkins has 37 points on the season averaging 12.3 per game. He has 13 rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
• NSU has averaged 75.7 points each game while allowing their opponents to average 82 points per game.
• The RiverHawks shoot 74% from the free-throw line.

 
NSU is led by first year Head Coach Ja Havens.  Havens is an NSU alum and former Assistant Coach under Larry Gipson.  Before NSU, Havens was the Head Coach at East Central University, where he had an overall record of 131-74.