ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Winners of three in a row, Griffon Women's Basketball begins the second half of its MIAA schedule with home games vs. Rogers State and Northeastern State this upcoming Saturday and Monday at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
KEEPING UP WITH THE GRIFFONS
KFEQ Radio will broadcast both games live on the 680 AM and 95.3 FM with the "Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac on the call. Fans that want to watch the games can purchase a subscription to the MIAA network, where the games will be broadcast live. Admission can be purchased by clicking on the "Tickets" tab above. Catch exclusive interviews with Head Coach
Candi Whitaker during the pregame shows.
PROLOGUE
Currently in seventh place in the MIAA, Missouri Western (10-4, 4-2 MIAA) is coming off a 94-65 handling of NAIA program Saint Mary this past Wednesday night at the Looney Complex. Junior guard
Brionna Budgetts led the Griffons with a game-high 26 points, while junior forward
Mary Fultz scored a season-high 16 while playing off the bench. Junior guard
Connie Clarke chipped in 20 points while snagging her third-straight game with four or more steals, helping the Griffons with their fourth game at home so far this season. Thanks to MWSU's fourth game scoring 90 points or more, the Griffons have the second-best scoring offense in the MIAA, averaging 78.4 points per game.
BRIONNA BUCKETS
With a 7-of-9 performance from beyond the arc vs. the Spires, Budgetts tied a women's basketball single-game record for threes made. She now stands side-by-side with Carly Lee (Jan. 18, 2003, at Missouri-Rolla) and Becky Reichard (Jan. 12, 1998, at Washburn) as the only three Griffon women to sink seven treys in one contest. On top of that, Budgetts shot 78% from downtown, which is the second-best percentage in program history. This is Budgetts' second-straight game with 24 or more points and third double-digit effort in a row, giving her 12 out of 14 games played while averaging 17 points per game in her last four.
CAN'T STOP CLARKE
Much like her teammate, Clarke has scored more than 10 points in 12 out of 14 games this season. Opponents still haven't found an answer for her in the last four games, as Clarke is averaging 15.8 PPG since Dec. 10. In those four games, Clarke is shooting 65% (26-of-40) from the field. With her and Budgetts both averaging a team-high 16.5 PPG, Clarke and her teammate sit fifth and sixth in the MIAA, respectively. Clarke is also second in the MIAA in rebounds per game with an average of 9.1
SCOUTING ROGERS STATE: DEC. 31 - 1:30 PM
Coming in at 10th place in the MIAA, Rogers State (3-8, 1-4 MIAA) is set to play its first game since Dec. 17 when the Hillcats defeated Northeastern State, 54-45, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, where Rogers State ripped off a 13-0 run in the final quarter to take an indefinite lead. Before that, RSU lost four games in a row, starting conference play 0-4.
Head Coach
The Hillcats are led by fifth-year man Kyle Bent, who is 38-79 with RSU, 15-48 in the MIAA and 199-166 in his coaching career. He is 0-3 vs. Missouri Western since the Hillcats first started playing the Griffons in Whitaker's first season in 2019-20.
Who to Watch
Last time out in RSU's win vs. NSU, freshman guard Kayla Goldsby scored a career-high 18 points, making Goldsby the only starting Hillcat to score over 10. Junior forward Kamryn Estell added 10 points off the bench and shot made 4-of-5 from the free-throw line. Senior forward Bailey Kliewer leads the team with 10.8 PPG but only scored four against the RiverHawks. Senior guard Jordan Lewis averages 10.2 PPG but only mustered four points in her last outing as well.
Record Rabbit Hole
Missouri Western is 3-0 all-time vs. Rogers State since the rivalry began in 2019. The only single-digit game occurred on Nov. 19, 2020, when MWSU won, 83-81, in Claremore, Oklahoma. The Griffs are 2-0 vs. the Hillcats at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
Last Time Out
The Griffons only played RSU once last season, dispatching of the Hillcats, 83-58, on Dec. 2, 2021, in St. Joseph.
Connie Clarke led all scorers with 21 points and notched a double-double thanks to 13 rebounds, which at the time was the second-most she had brought down in her career.
Jordan Cunningham complemented Clarke with 16 points, while
Corbyn Cunningham scored 12. Now Graduate Assistant Coach
Jaelyn Haggard chipped in 11 off the bench. This win propelled the Griffons to 5-0 before eventually starting that season with nine W's in a row.
SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN STATE: JAN. 2 - 4 PM
Before the ninth-place RiverHawks (4-5, 1-4 MIAA) step into the New Year, they will play Northwest Missouri State (5-6, 0-5) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in Maryville, Missouri. Northeastern is amidst a four-game losing streak, falling to (RV) Fort Hays State, (RV) Nebraska-Kearney, Emporia State and Rogers State.
Head Coach
Fala Suiaunoa is in her fifth year as head coach for Northeastern State, where she is 38-102 with the RiverHawks, 24-82 in the MIAA and 136-175 overall in her 10-year coaching career. Suiaunoa and NSU are 1-4 vs. MWSU and 1-2 vs. Whitaker's Griffons since 2019.
Who to Watch
Sophomore forward Courtney Lee is 11th in the MIAA in PPG with a slash of 14, while sophomore guard Ashton Hackler is 13th, averaging 13.8. Lee is fifth in the MIAA with 7.8 RPG and led NSU with 13 points vs. Rogers State, as did junior guard Tess Talo Tomokino. Junior center Patrycja Pawlata grabbed six rebounds in her first-career start vs. RSU.
Record Rabbit Hole
Since the two teams started tangling in 2005, MWSU leads the overall series, 9-6, and has won eight out of the last nine matchups. Whitaker's lone loss to NSU came in 2020 on Nov. 21 in Tahlequah, 82-74. Missouri Western is 6-2 vs. NSU in St. Joseph and hasn't lost to the RiverHawks inside the MWSU Fieldhouse since Jan. 2, 2013.
Last Time Out
After that uncharacteristic loss in 2020, MWSU bounced back with 79-61 win over NSU on Dec. 4, 2021, in St. Joseph. Budgetts became the Griffons' main source of offense with a game-best 22 points, while
Jordan Cunningham tallied 10 points of her own. At that point, those 22 points by Budgetts were a career-high. Missouri Western never trailed in this game, finishing from start to finish to notch a 6-0 record.
NOTABLES
- Junior guard Camille Evans is nine points away from a career total of 300.
- Clarke found her 100th-career assist vs. Saint Mary.
- Budgetts score her 800th-career point on Wednesday and is two field goals away from her 300th. She also needs six rebounds for her 200th board.
- Trinity Knapp has surpassed 200-career points.
ON THESE DAYS IN GRIFFON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY: DEC. 31 - JAN. 2
Dec. 31, 2016: Back before 2016 became 2017, MWSU played on New Year's Eve against No. 19 Central Oklahoma in Edmond. The Griffons rang in the New Year by ringing the bell thanks to a 67-57 win over the previously undefeated Bronchos. Chelsea Dewey led MWSU and all scorers with 17 points, while Dwanisha Tate scored 16 points of her own. Dewey played 38 minutes, the most clocked by any player that day.
Jan. 2, 2011: Turn the clock back 11 years and one may remember when MWSU beat Nebraska-Omaha, 71-63, at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Four Griffon starters scored 10 or more points, led by Rachel Luteyn's game-high 21. Luteyn also crashed the glass 10 times, earning her a double-double.
WBCA Coaches Rankings - Dec. 20, 2022.
D2SIDA Rankings - Dec. 20, 2022.
