Getting things started on Friday night is a neutral-site matchup between #1 Northwest Missouri State and former MIAA member UMSL. Northwest Missouri State suffered its first non-conference loss since 2015 at the Central Region Challenge, dropping an 83-77 loss to Sioux Falls before bouncing back with a 75-52 win over Arkansas-Monticello. The Tritons won both of their opening weekend games, picking up an 80-76 win over Walsh on Saturday and an 87-77 win over Tiffin on Sunday.

The teams haven't met since UMSL's final season as a member of the MIAA.

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No. 1 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats (3-1)
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UMSL Tritons (2-0)
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Game 4 | Missouri Western vs. Oklahoma Baptist
Friday, November 19
7:30 p.m. | MWSU Fieldhouse | St. Joseph, Mo.

This is the first matchup between Missouri Western and Oklahoma Baptist.

Oklahoma Baptist hosted the GAC/NSIC Challenge involving Southeastern Oklahoma State, Minnesota State-Moorhead and Wayne State to open the season. The Bison come into this weekend 2-0, having defeated Wayne State 74-61 in the season opener and then outlasting MSU-M 90-87 in double overtime.

Brantley Thompson and Burke Putnam lead the OBU offense, with Putnam averaging 29.0 points and 8.5 rebounds per game and Thompson adding 18.0 points and 6.5 assists per contest. As a team, the Bison hold a solid rebounding edge, averaging 48.0 boards per game to just 40.0 for their opponents, but are prone to turnovers - they've committed 27 turnovers and allowed 18 steals in two games so far, but have only forced 19 and 8 respectively.

The Bison shoot 44.1 percent from the floor (34.0 percent from distance) and a respectable 75.0 percent from the free throw line. Defensively, they've held opponents to a 38.6 percent (25.4 percent 3FG) pace from the floor.

Missouri Western struggled from three-point range against Henderson State, dropping an 81-77 overtime loss on Sunday, Nov. 14. The Griffons led 39-34 at the half and held the lead for more than 30 minutes in the contest, but couldn't withstand a late run by the Reddies.

Henderson State took an early lead, but Missouri Western battled back to tie it 11-11 on an Anthony Peacock layup with 14:45 on the clock. The teams traded the lead back and forth over the next few minutes, but an Alex John layup with 4:19 left in the half allowed the Griffons to start stretching out a bit of a lead. MWSU took a 39-34 lead into the locker room, with a last-second three by the Reddies making it even that close.

The Reddies surged a couple of times down the stretch, looking to close the gap. Missouri Western was able to withstand the first two surges, but not the third. Henderson State closed out with a 14-4 run over the final 4:16 of regulation and extended it to 21-7 over the first 2:30 of the extra stanza.

John broke the Reddies run with a pair of free throws and tied it up at 77-77 with a putback with 48 seconds left. Unfortunately, Missouri Western couldn't answer a pair of free throw makes by HSU with 19 seconds to play, and were forced to foul as Xavier Davenport pulled down a rebound with 4.8 to go.