ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Missouri Western welcomes last year's Round of 32 and Sweet Sixteen opponents in a pair of Central Region rematches, as the Griffons take on Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State University at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
KEEPING UP WITH THE GRIFFONS
"The Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac will call both games live. Paul Smith will join him on air. Broadcasts can be found on KFEQ Radio, both streaming and on your radio dial. MIAA Network subscribers can find the games online if they wish to watch.
REGIONAL REMATCH
Last year's incredible postseason run for the Griffons saw them take on both of this weekend's foes in the NCAA Central Regional. The second round of the regional saw the Griffons down Nebraska-Kearney, 72-59.
Brionna Budgetts led all scorers with 17. The win was powered by two spectacular defensive efforts, as the Griffons held the Lopers to just eight points in the second quarter, and in the fourth, MWSU limited UNK to just 13.
Two days after the Griffs beat UNK, they beat Fort Hays State in dramatic fashion. The Griffons needed one of the best comebacks in program history, as they went down by 21 with 2:04 remaining in the second quarter. Now Graduate Assistant
Jaelyn Haggard helped the Griffons storm back, leading all scorers with 19 points,
including one of the most clutch shots in Griffon history.
DYNAMIC DUO
The Griffons have the best guard duo in the MIAA in terms of scoring, with
Connie Clarke and Budgetts averaging a combined 34.6 points per game. Clarke and Budgetts are also shooting a combined 54.2 percent from the floor. Clarke is the leader in rebounds for the Griffons, while Budgetts leads Missouri Western in 3-pointers made.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA-KEARNEY - DEC. 8 - 5:30 PM
The Lopers (9-1, 2-0 MIAA) come to MWSU Fieldhouse as one of the hottest teams in the nation, ranked at 22 in the WBCA Coaches Poll and at 24 in the D2SIDA Poll. The only game UNK has dropped this year came in a thriller against West Texas A&M in the D2CCA Women's Basketball Tip-Off Classic in Kansas City. They recently beat Rogers State and Northeastern by large margins in the opening weekend of MIAA play.
Head Coach
Carrie Eighmey is in her seventh year in charge of the Lopers. She is currently 146-70 as the Lopers' head coach, with a 93-52 record in MIAA play. She was previously the head coach at her alma mater, Hastings.
Who to Watch
Nebraska-Kearney has a sound starting five, with all starters scoring over 7.5 points per game. Elisa Backes leads the Lopers with 10.7 PPG, followed closely by Shiloh McCool at 10.2. McCool also leads the Lopers with six rebounds per game, followed by Klaire Kirsch with 5.8. Backes and Kirsch are joined by Sarah Schmitt, shooting over 30% from beyond the arc.
Record Rabbit Hole
The Griffons and Lopers have faced off 49 times, with the Griffons winning 28 of those matchups. Before the Griffons' victory over the Lopers in the Round of 32, Kearney had won six-straight games against the Griffons. In fact, the last time the Griffons beat UNK in St. Joseph was in 2017. The Griffons are 28-21 against UNK all-time.
Last Time Out
Missouri Western last met UNK on March 2, 2022 in Hays, Kansas. The Griffons won on almost every level, as they out-rebounded the Lopers, finished with more assists, shot better from the field and from three and made more free throws.
SCOUTING FORT HAYS -DEC. 10 - 1:30 PM
The Tigers of Fort Hays (6-3, 2-0 MIAA) are on a four-game winning streak coming into the weekend against MWSU, receiving 23 votes in the WBCA Coaches Poll. They also took down Northeastern and Rogers State last weekend, winning by hearty margins. Their first lost came against West Texas A&M, before falling to Augustana and Minnesota State.
Head Coach
Tony Hobson is in his 15th season at FHSU. He is 318-112 overall at Fort Hays and 194-88 in the MIAA, with a collegiate record of 725-215. His is ninth among active Division II coaches with a .773 winning percentage. He has guided the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament seven of the last eight years.
Who to Watch
Katie Wagner leads the Tigers with 13.9 points per game. She also leads the team with 8.9 rebounds per game. Olivia Hollenbeck is second on the team in points and rebounds, scoring 11.4 points and grabbing 3.9 rebounds per game. Fort Hays only has two players who have started all nine games this season. They have started eight different players over their nine games.
Record Rabbit Hole
The Griffons and Tigers have played each other 58 times, and the Griffons are 24-34 all-time against FHSU. Both teams have historically been good at home, with the Griffons going 15-8 at the MWSU Fieldhouse since 1999, while the Tigers are 18-6 at Gross Memorial Coliseum against the Griffons. Missouri Western is 3-7 in the last 10 games against Fort Hays, with the most recent and memorable game going in favor of the Griffons.
Last Time Out
March 14, 2022, was a historic night for Missouri Western. Not only was it the first time the Griffs had won in Gross Memorial since 2007, but it also was the first time the Griffons qualified for the Elite Eight since 1995.
WEEKEND NOTABLES
- The Griffons are 10th in the country in total offense.
- Missouri Western's 45% shooting from the field is good for second in the MIAA right behind Central Missouri.
- The Griffs have two of the four highest-scoring games in the conference this year, scoring 105 vs. William Jewell and 102 against Lubbock Christian.
- Clarke's 9.8 rebounds per game ranks her in the top 40 in the country.
- Clarke also has the fifth-most double-doubles in the country.
ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY: DEC. 8-10
December 8, 2018: Missouri Western beat Lincoln in a thriller at the MWSU Fieldhouse. The Griffs were down seven with under three minutes to play, but a Katrina Roenfeldt layup with five seconds left gave Missouri Western a 62-61 victory.
December 10, 2017: The Griffons pounced on Peru State, winning by a large margin, 99-44. Six Griffons scored in double-figures, with the two highest-scoring players coming off the bench. Cera Ledbetter led all scorers with 18, while Savannah Lentz finished with 17.
D2SIDA Rankings
WBCA Coaches Rankings
