Game 8 | --/20 Missouri Western (7-0, 3-0 MIAA) vs RV/-- Central Missouri (5-3, 1-0 MIAA)
Saturday, December 11
1:30 p.m. | St. Joseph, Mo.

Griffon Sports Network
680 AM | 95.3 FM | 680kfeq.com/live-stream
Broadcast Team
Tommy Rezac (@TommyKFEQ)
Tom Smith

Broadcast - themiaanetwork.com/mwsugriffons
Live Stats - gogriffons.com/livestats-wbb

The Coaches
Candi Whitaker
3rd Season | 34-24 (.586)

David Slifer
18th Season | 361-158 (.696)

Although Danielle Sachse’s primary role during the 2021-22 season is providing color commentary for the Griffon Sports Network during road games, fans will want to be in their seats early on Saturday as Sachse will take a front-and-center role behind the mic, singing the National Anthem prior to the women’s basketball doubleheader.

Saturday’s contest is the 73rd meeting between the teams, with Missouri Western trailing 30-42 in the series. Central Missouri won both matchups between the teams last year, and has won nine of the last 10 meetings. The Jennies also have a strong Missouri Western flavor, as head coach David Slifer spent nine seasons on the home bench in the MWSU Fieldhouse, leading the Griffons to a 206-69 (.749) record over his tenure.

The Jennies have had an up and down start to the 2021-22 campaign, dropping two of three contests in the D2CCA Tipoff Classic (W 69-57 vs. West Texas A&M, L 86-80 vs. Southwestern Okla. State, L 84-81 vs. Drury) before sandwiching a pair of two-game winning streaks around a loss to #16 Union University. UCM also picked up a big win over Lincoln earlier this year, winning its MIAA opener 71-46 at home.

Through eight games, the Jennies are led by Nija Collier (20.9 pts/gm, 12.4 reb/gm, 1.9 blk/gm), Brooke Littrell (17.3 pts/gm, 8.6 reb/gm) and Olivia Nelson (17.3 pts/gm, 5.5 ast/gm, 2.0 st/gm). The trio all rank in the top 10 in the MIAA in scoring, holding down second, seventh and eighth respectively through games prior to Dec. 9. Collier also leads the league with her 12.4 rebounds per game while Littrell is seventh with 8.6 rebounds per game.

As a team, the Jennies average 77.8 pts/gm on 50.2 percent (218-434) shooting, and they’re a solid 39.5 percent (62-157) from long range. Central Missouri has been slightly turnover-prone on the year, coughing the ball up 123 times to just 108 forced, with opponents leading 71-49 in steals as well. Defensively, UCM has allowed opponents just a 39.0 percent (189-484) success rate from the floor (36.4%; 60-165 3FG) and has sent foes to the line just 127 times with a 67.7 percent make rate (86). The Jennies have also recorded 26 blocks on the year.

#20 Missouri Western opened with smothering defense, holding Lincoln to 8.3 percent (1-12) shooting in the first quarter, and finished with solid offense - Corbyn Cunningham (21 pts, 10 reb) and Connie Clarke (14 pts, 12 reb) both had double-doubles - as the Griffons rolled to an 88-52 win over the Blue Tigers extending their unbeaten run to seven.

After winning the opening tip, Lincoln hit a three-pointer on its first possession, but that would be the only field goal allowed by Missouri Western in the first 10 minutes. The Griffons held Lincoln scoreless for the next five minutes, reeling off a 10-0 run and extending to a 19-9 first quarter lead.

Missouri Western kept up the pressure on both ends of the court through the second quarter en route to a 23-point halftime lead. The Griffons shot 64.3 percent (9-14) from the floor and a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line in the second quarter, and forced 14 Blue Tiger turnovers in the first half.

The Griffons ran into a brief cold stretch after the break, but Cunningham helped MWSU hold Lincoln at bay with eight points in the quarter on 3-of-4 shooting then sparked a 14-0 run to open the fourth. Her pull-up jumper with 20 seconds elapsed in the final stanza jumpstarted the Griffon offense, and MWSU romped out to a 72-37 lead over the next two minutes.

Lincoln strung together a brief surge on either side of the media timeout, as Mercy Gonzalez had five points and and assist in a 10-0 spurt, but Missouri Western answered with a second-chance three-point play by Clarke, followed by a triple from Jaelyn Haggard. The Griffon bench stretched the margin back to 36 points, with Alyssa Bonilla knocking down a three-pointer and Jaden Schomp capping the scoring with a jumper with 14 seconds left.

Missouri Western struggled mightily to find success in any phase of its offense, shooting 28.8 percent (17-59) from the floor, 21.1 percent (4-19) from beyond the arc and earning just eight trips to the free throw line in a 66-45 loss at Central Missouri. The Griffons converted on seven of eight free throws, but it was only slight comfort in the contest as MWSU surrendered 22 turnovers and forced only 12.

Jordan Cunningham and Asia McCoy led Missouri Western with nine points each as the squad was held without a double-digit scorer for the second straight game.

Missouri Western returned to the Top 25 for the first time since the 2016-17 season this week, debuting at #20 in the D2SIDA Women’s Basketball Media Poll. After receiving three votes in the initial installment of the D2SIDA Central Region rankings, the Griffons continued to impress, debuting at no. 10 on Nov. 22 and moving up to no. 3 in the region in the Dec. 6 rankings. MWSU has made the most of a very challenging non-conference schedule, going 4-0 for the first time since the 2015-16 season against an entirely NCAA Division II-based schedule.

Although Missouri Western holds a stout +12.1 reb/gm margin over its opponents, the Griffons have seen surprisingly few in-game double-doubles on the year, with two players accounting for six standout performances.

To be fair, though, Connie Clarke is averaging a double-double on the year, with 13.0 pts and 11.6 reb per game.

Connie Clarke
- vs. Southeastern Okla. (13 Nov.) - 19 pts, 10 reb.
- vs. Illinois-Springfield (22 Nov.) - 12 pts, 15 reb.
- vs. Rogers State (2 Dec.) - 21 pts, 12 reb.
- at Lincoln (9 Dec.) - 14 pts, 12 reb.

Corbyn Cunningham
- vs. Illinois-Springfield (22 Nov.) - 21 pts, 10 reb.
- at Lincoln (9 Dec.) - 21 pts, 10 reb.

The Griffons have been held below 40 rebounds in a game only once this season, a 35-rebound (12 off, 23 def) performance against Southeastern Oklahoma State on Nov. 13. Missouri Western averages 42.6 boards per game and holds its opponents to just 30.4, and has better than double the overall offensive rebounds on the year, 102 to 47. The Griffons have twice come close to exactly balancing the scales, against Univ. of Sioux Falls (21 off, 25 def) and against Rogers State (23 off, 26 def).

MWSU leads the league in rebounding margin, with a gap of +12.83 to a +9.86 gap for Fort Hays State and an +8.25 margin for Nebraska-Kearney. Through six games, the Griffons held NEITHER of the top breakdown spots, but blew past Lincoln for the top spot (before Thursday - LU 15.29, MWSU 14.67) despite dropping .1 on their season average. The Griffons fell to 14.57/gm after Thursday, as Lincoln plummeted to a mark of 14.13/gm. MWSU is third behind Nebraska-Kearney (29.50) and Fort Hays State (28.29) on the defensive side, tied with Central Missouri with an average of 28.00.

Missouri Western leads the league in turnover margin, averaging 5.29 fewer turnovers than its opponents on the year, and its per-game pace of 11.14 ranks second in steals behind Lincoln with a scant difference of .24/gm.

Through seven games on the season, Missouri Western has yet to see a back-to-back leading scorer, and of its regular (12.5 min/gm and up) contributors only one player hasn’t hit the 10-point plateau in at least one game this year. The Griffons have also had at least two players finish every game with 10 or more points, and have had a player hit for 20 points or better in five of seven games on the year and three straight. The last time MWSU was held without a 20-point scorer was at Southwest Baptist, although Brionna Budgetts (14), Corbyn Cunningham (10) and Trinity Knapp (10) all finished with 10 or better.

Making his debut as the “Voice of the Griffs” this season is Tommy Rezac. Joining Rezac for a majority of our home broadcasts is Griffon Hall of Famer Tom Smith. Danielle Sachse will be providing color commentary when Missouri Western is on the road this year.

For the 20th year, KFEQ 680 AM/95.3 FM is the home of the Griffon Sports Network, and Rezac also hosts the weekly Missouri Western Coaches Luncheon at the Hi-Ho Bar and Grill, carried on JoeTown 107.5.