Men's Basketball 12/2/2021 11:38:00 AM

Men's Basketball Faces Rogers State In MIAA Opener

After facing a strong non-conference schedule to open the 2021-22 season, Missouri Western men's basketball looks to derail Rogers State's perfect 5-0 start to the season as the MIAA slate gets underway for both teams. The Griffons (4-4) look to keep their unbeaten streak against the Hillcats alive and extend their overall winning streak to three in a 7:30 p.m. tipoff at the MWSU Fieldhouse on Thursday.

Game 9 | Missouri Western vs Rogers State
Thursday, December 2
7:30 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-mbb
The Coaches
Will Martin
2nd Season | 18-15 (.545)
Justin Barkley
12th Season | 223-106 (.678)
The Griffons own a 2-0 record in the series history between the team. Rogers State is the newest member of the MIAA, and has only been an NCAA Division II institution since the 2013-14 season.
The Hillcats bring a 5-0 record into tonight's contest, their best start since opening the 2019-20 season 6-0. RSU has outscored its opponents 79.0-56.2 (+22.8) on the year, although the mark includes a pair of outliers against NCCAA competitors Randall University (92-41) and Barclay College (110-67) on the year. Against NCAA competition, the scoring margin drops to a 64.3-57.7 (+6.7) spread.

Devin Pullum leads Rogers State with 15.4 pts/gm on the year, with Joey Saracco adding 12.0 points and a team-high 8.2 rebounds per game. Brewster Peacock averages 11.7 pts/gm as well, although he has seen time in just three of five games for RSU on the year.
As the buzzer sounded to end regulation on Saturday, there was a resigned air inside the Looney Complex. Missouri Western had battled back from a seven-point halftime deficit to tie the game 66-66, but with an 0-2 record in overtime games this year, Griffon fans could be excused for not being exuberant. Within the first 75 seconds of the extra session however, a JaRon Thames dunk followed by a Reese Glover steal and three-pointer had the Fieldhouse rocking and MWSU didn't look back, closing out 80-76 winners over William Jewell. The Griffons missed only two shots (5-6 FG, 3-4 FT) in the extra frame and held Jewell to 4-7 shooting on the defensive end.
Missouri Western wasn't able to find its shooting touch over the first 10 minutes and struggled to contain Jewell's Heri Tshiyoyo, who had six points and an assist as the Cardinals opened up a 16-8 lead. The Cardinals answered a MWSU run to take a 34-27 lead into the locker room.
Although the Cardinals opened up a 55-43 lead with 10:40 left in regulation, Missouri Western was able to close within three by the final minute. Glover had just six of the Griffons' 23 points over the final 10:40, but the biggest three came from the free throw line with 16 seconds on the clock. Dribbling to his right, he tried to pull up for a shot and drew contact from Mason Alexander. He calmly sank all three free throws, and Missouri Western forced an off-balance shot by Alexander to send the game to overtime.
JC Anthony was a perfect 4-for-4 on the night, but his biggest impact came with 8 seconds left in overtime, as he battled for an offensive rebound after a miss by Eames, then had an easy putback to give the Griffons a 79-76 lead. William Jewell called a timeout and again put the ball in the hands of Alexander for the last shot, but Missouri Western forced another rushed shot, giving the Cardinals no choice but to foul Thames as he grabbed the rebound with 0.5 on the clock. After missing the first, the sophomore knocked down the second to seal the win.
It took overtime to decide it, but the Missouri Western men's basketball team defeated Rogers State 68-55 in the 2020-21 season opener, giving first-year head coach Will Martin his first career victory in the process.
After a back-and-forth 40 minutes of regulation, the Griffons outscored the Hillcats 17-4 in overtime to secure the victory. Tyrell Carroll led MWSU with 17 points, four assists and three steals. Reece Glover and JaQuaylon Mays added 12 and 11 points respectively.
The Griffons took early command of the game, with Carroll scoring 10 of MWSU's first 12 points, but shooting struggles from both teams in the first half saw the Griffons and Hillcats go to halftime tied at 25. MWSU went 0-10 from three point land in the opening half and just 5-25 from long range for the game.
The second half saw the two teams trade blows, with neither team leading by more than five points. Rogers State tied the game at 51 on a free throw with 7 seconds remaining. MWSU had the final shot, but Will Eames's three point attempt came up short, sending the game to overtime.
The extra period was all Missouri Western, as the Griffons opened OT on a 6-0 run and never looked back, outlasting the Hillcats.
With the upset of RV/#17 Oklahoma Baptist to open the Hillyard Tip-Off Classic, Will Martin collected his fourth victory over a ranked team in his young tenure. The Griffons are 4-2 against teams ranked in the top 25 under Will Martin, and 2-0 in regular season games against top-10 foes.
Missouri Western returned to the win column in overtime against William Jewell, after dropping both of their previous forays into the extra five minute period (83-77 vs. RV Embry-Riddle; 81-77 vs. Henderson State) this year.
It marks the third overtime win under head coach Will Martin, as the Griffons won both of their bonus basketball outings (68-55 at Rogers State, 84-76 vs. Lincoln) on the 2020-21 slate.
With makes in eight consecutive contests to open the season, Missouri Western continues to extend its school record with 495 consecutive games with a made three-pointer. The last time MWSU didn’t make a three-point field goal in a game was February 4, 2004 at Emporia State when the Griffons went 0-of-7 in a 70-53 loss to the Hornets.
Over the stretch, Missouri Western has averaged 34.2 percent from long range, hitting 3,733 of 10,909 attempts. The best overall shooting percentage for the Griffons during the 19-season span is a 37.4 percent (2010-11; 246-657) pace.
Missouri Western finished No. 2 in the MIAA in three-point field goal percentage defense at 33.8% last year. Through eight games this season, the Griffons have tightened up, allowing just 29.5% shooting from downtown.