KANSAS CITY, Mo. -  You know the old basketball philosophy of "it's hard to beat a team three times in one season..." mess? Not true. At least not Friday. The Griffon women completed a three game season sweep of the Central Missouri 69-55 to advance to the semifinals of the MIAA Basketball Championships in Kansas City.

The two regular-season meetings between the Griffons (21-8) and Jennies (19-11) were decided in overtime.  The #5 vs #4 postseason matchup was never really in doubt. Western took its first lead midway through the first quarter and never trailed again, taking a 30-18 lead to halftime and stretching the margin to as many as 26 points in the fourth quarter. 

Connie Clarke led the Griffons in scoring with 14 point and 3 steals, with Jaelyn Haggard dropping 12 points on 4-7 shooting from deep The senior graduate transfer nailed four consecutive three-pointers in the 3rd quarter that capped a 21-6 Griffon run to put the game out of reach.  Western forced 20 UCM turnovers in the victory. 

The win was crucial for Western's NCAA tournament resume, which also likely eliminated UCM from dance contention.  The Griffons hold the #8 spot in this week's NCAA Regional Rankings with the top 8 teams advancing to the dance. 

Missouri Western will make its first MIAA Tournament semifinals apperance since 2018 on Saturday when they face #1 seed and MIAA regular season co-champion Missouri Southern.  The Lions are 23-5 have won 16 straight games.  Saturday's matchup will be the rubber match.  The Lions defeated the Griffons 71-57 in Joplin on February 10th.  The Griffons defeated the Lions 74-65 in St. Joseph on January 3rd. That game marked the last time Southern lost.