ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Thanks to a defensively dominant showing vs. Fort Hays State, Griffon Men's Basketball is back in the win column and on the road with two more MIAA matchups this week at Newman and Central Oklahoma.
KEEPING UP WITH THE GRIFFONS
KFEQ Radio will broadcast both games live on 680 AM and 95.3 FM with the "Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac and Paul Smith on the call inside Fugate Gymnasium and Hamilton Field House. 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.
WHAT HAPPENED VS. HAYS
Box Score
Missouri Western (8-6, 4-4 MIAA) fell behind early on this Tuesday evening but eventually found its stride, building a 27-15 halftime lead against Fort Hays (11-5, 6-4 MIAA) — which is the least-number of points MWSU has given up to any team in one half in the
Will Martin Era. Thanks to junior forward JaRon Thame's third career double-double and a record-tying night from junior guard
Reese Glover, the Griffons walked away with a 62-55 win to snap a three-game skid. With FHSU's 55 on the board, that is just the second-least number of points MWSU has given up to the Tigers in the rivalry's entirety (51, 1st; Jan. 28, 1978). Meanwhile, sophomore guard
Julius Dixon was business as usual, scoring 13 points while making 3-of-3 from deep, which gives him 10 points or more in 13 of 14 games in his inaugural season at MWSU.
TWO-HUNDRED-THIRTY-THREE THREES FOR NO. 3
It has happened. On Tuesday evening, Glover hit the 233rd 3-pointer of his career with 14:34 left in the second half, giving MWSU its largest lead of the night at 17. With that trey, he is tied with Cole Clearman (2014-18) for first in program history. Clearman broke the then record of 217 on Feb. 7, 2018, at Washburn on his first 3-point attempt of the game. After scoring 11 points and making 3-of-5 from deep last night, Glover's line of 44.7% from three is second in the MIAA.
Racing towards the Record
It took Clearman 105 games to break Heath Dudley's old 3-point record and 111 contests to set the mark at 233. Meanwhile, Glover is gearing up to play career game No. 86. To break it down even further, Glover has attempted 578 threes in his career while it took Clearman 595 attempts to pass Dudley and 631 to reach 233.
THE JT JOLT
Since Thames rejoined the Griffons' rotation three games ago vs. Northeastern State, he has caught fire in the field. Shooting 66.7% since Jan. 2, Thames is also averaging 14 points per game in that span, as he collected the third double-double of his career with 15 points and 11 rebounds vs. Fort Hays on Tuesday night. He is also bringing a spark from beyond the arc, shooting 66.7% (2-of-3).
SCOUTING NEWMAN: JAN. 12 - 7:30 PM
Currently owning 13th place in the conference, Newman (5-10, 1-8 MIAA) is reeling from a four-game losing streak, losing to Fort Hays (Dec. 18, 83-61), No. 20 Emporia State (Dec. 31, 89-64), Rogers State (Jan. 5, 84-77) and Northeastern State (Jan. 7, 64-56). This is the Jets' second four-game slide of the season, splitting the difference with a 74-71 triumph over Missouri Southern on Dec. 10, giving Newman one win in its last nine games.
The Jets led the RiverHawks at halftime, 34-27, when Newman traveled to Tahlequah, Oklahoma, but NSU stormed back to take a definite advantage in a game that saw three ties and six lead changes.
Head Coach
Amidst his sixth season as head coach, R.J. Allen is 58-91 overall with Newman and 11-61 inside the MIAA. He is 0-3 vs. MWSU and 0-2 vs. Martin-led teams. Overall, he 0-2 vs. the Griffons when playing in Wichita, Kansas. His defense is giving up the second-most PPG in the league at 75.4 PPG, and his offense sits as 12th in the MIAA at 68.7.
Who to Watch
So far, Newman has three scorers averaging 10 points or more this season: sophomore guard Stevie Strong (16.9 PPG); junior guard Latik Murphy (12.7 PPG); and fellow junior guard Stevie Smith (11.8 PPG). Strong's slash is good for third in the MIAA while Murphy is in 23rd place. Smith and Strong were the only players to score in double-digits last time out at NSU, putting up 18 and 16, respectively.
Record Rabbit Hole
Half of Allen's tenure with Newman takes up the entirety of the Jets' rivalry with the Griffons, going 0-3 all-time since joining the MIAA in 2019-20. The Griffons are 2-0 inside Fugate Gymnasium, and Glover typically plays hot overall when these two teams meet. The Griffon junior is averaging 16 PPG and is shooting 62.5% (10-of-16) from three in two games vs. the Jets.
Last Time Out
Box Score
Trailing in a 39-32 game at halftime on Feb. 2, 2022, in Wichita, the Griffons stormed back in the second half thanks a double-double night from
Will Eames, who tallied a team-high 20 points and 11 rebounds. Eames scored 12 points in the second half while
Justin Bubak scored 12 points overall, giving him the second double-digit game of his career at that point. With the game deadlocked at 63-63 with five minutes left in regulation, former Griffon guard
Caleb Bennett broke the tie with go-ahead free throw, as the Griffons ended the game on an 11-5 run to seal the deal.
ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON MEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY: JAN. 12
Box Score | Video Recap
On this day in 2013 marks a massive victory in MWSU Men's Basketball history. The upstart Griffons hosted No. 24 Northwest Missouri State at the MWSU Fieldhouse, giving the Bearcats their first MIAA loss of the season, 71-58. Trailing by two in a 33-31 game at the break, MWSU clamped Northwest down to just 25 points in the second half. With 14:24 left to play, the Griffons grabbed a 41-40 lead thanks to a go-ahead jump shot by Alfreeman Flowers that opened the floodgates for the rest of the game.
SCOUTING NO. 7/9 CENTRAL OKLAHOMA: JAN. 14 - 3:30 PM
The Griffons hit the grindstone against another heavyweight opponent on Saturday when they visit first-place Central Oklahoma (15-1, 9-1 MIAA) in Edmond, Oklahoma, at Hamilton Field House. Winners of eight in a row, No. 7/9 UCO is turning MIAA opponents onto their heads, winning four of those games by 10 points or more, as zero of those games have been decided by a single possession. Central Oklahoma's one loss this season came way on Dec. 8, 2022, in Edmond vs. Missouri Southern, 56-50. This matchup was just five days after MWSU manhandled Southern, 79-65, in Joplin, Missouri.
The Bronchos will do battle with No. 4/4 Northwest Missouri on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in Edmond.
Head Coach
Fourth-year man and collegiate veteran Bob Hoffman is 670-373 overall, 63-36 with UCO and 44-25 in the MIAA. Hoffman led Central Oklahoma to the 2021-22 MIAA regular-season title — the first since joining the league in 2012 — and he was named MIAA Coach of the Year following the regular season. He guided the team to the MIAA Men's Basketball Championship semifinals before earning an at-large bid to the 2022 NCAA Division II national tournament. Central Oklahoma made its 18th national tournament appearance in 2022 and the 13th since joining Division II.
His Bronchos are averaging the second-most PPG in the MIAA at 79.8 and the second-least at 59.3. Hoffman is 1-1 vs. Martin and 1-2 vs. MWSU.
Who to Watch
Sophomore guard Jaden Wells has been slicing up each defense he's come across this season, averaging an MIAA-high 19.8 PPG (316 points; first), ranking him 41st in the country. Scoring 13 points or higher in every game so far, the biggest part of his game is behind the arc, as he his shooting another MIAA-best 47.1% from deep. Senior guard Curtis Haywood is chipping in 11.8 PPG and is pulling down 6.6 RPG (seventh), as he resides with the third-most rebounds in all of the conference at 106. Sophomore forward Luke Haasl is a presence in the post and a pest to scorers in the paint, blocking a league-high 20 shots so far.
Record Rabbit Hole
Since they started playing in 1991, the Griffons lead the Bronchos, 13-12. The Griffons also hold a 5-4 advantage when playing in Edmond, winning the last three matchups at Hamilton Field House. The Griffons are 2-1 all-time when playing a ranked UCO team, most recently downing the No. 13 Bronchos ...
Last Time Out
Box Score | Video Recap
... on Feb. 8, 2022, 71-68, in Edmond. Missouri Western entered the game at 8-9 overall and 4-5 in the MIAA, needing a win to stay afloat in the conference. Meanwhile, the No. 13 Bronchos were 15-3 overall and 11-1 in the MIAA and had won 15 of their last 16 games. While UCO started the game on a 21-7 run, MWSU held the Bronchos to just 14 points in the next 13 minutes to take a 36-35 lead at halftime.
Former Griffon JaQualyon Mays led all scorers with 22 points while
Taye Fields scored a then career-high 20 points and snagged 11 rebounds for the second double-double of his young career. Eleven points from Eames, 12 more from Bubak off the bench and 10 boards by Thames put the Griffons in perfect position to fend off the future NCAA Tournament qualifiers. With MWSU down by one with 5:11 to play, Eames scooped home a layup to give his Griffons the go-ahead bucket and the 71-68 victory. It was UCO's first of just two home losses that season.
ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON MEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY: JAN. 14
Box Score
The Griffons defended their home court with some gusto on this day in 2008, as the MWSU defeated Rockhurst, 78-51, to advance to 7-6 on the season. Lonnel Johnson led all scorers with 18 points, making 7-of-12 shots from the field. Reggie Bunch made 8-of-12 attempts and added 17 points, three assists and two steals. Jay McFarland rounded out the Griffons' toper scorers with a 13-point night.
NOTABLES
- Tuesday's 15-point allowance in the first half is the third time a Martin-led team has allowed 19 or fewer points in a single half (18 vs. Rogers State, Dec. 2021; 19 vs. Friends, Dec. 29, 2021).
- Dixon is 19 points away from scoring 200 this season.
- Glover passed the 850-point benchmark vs. Fort Hays. He currently has 852 in his career.Glover needs nine more assists for 100.
- Fields is shooting 55.6% from three in his last five games.
- Thames is 14 points away from reaching 700 for his career. He needs four more rebounds to reach 300.
