ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — White-hot Griffon Women's Basketball hits the road to face Fort Hays State and Nebraska-Kearney in a pair of key road clashes that will go a long way in determining who will be competing for an MIAA crown in March. 

KEEPING UP WITH THE GRIFFONS
Fans not making the trip west can hear both games live on 680 AM/95.3 FM with the "Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac and Paul Smith on both calls. Tune in 30 minutes early for pregame and an exclusive interview with Head Coach Candi Whitaker. Fans wanting to watch the game can subscribe or buy a single game pass through the MIAA Network. 

START COUNTING
For the second week in a row, Missouri Western has received votes in the national polls, hauling in 34 votes in the WBCA Coaches Poll and 27 in the D2SIDA Poll. After MWSU's win over No. 5/2 Central Missouri, the Jennies dropped to 7/7. Meanwhile, the Griffons wait patiently for their first national ranking since ending last season ranked No. 12/7.

"Validation from people who have never seen us play and don't know anything about us, we're not overly concerned about," Whitaker said. "I think that this team understands that what you do in the next game is what matters. Preparation going into that is what matters, whether if you're ranked or not ranked. It will all shuffle out and take care of itself."

CHASING A MILESTONE
Whitaker is chasing a special milestone this weekend: her 200th career victory. Whitaker started her coaching career 45 minutes south of St. Joseph at UMKC where she won 89 games for the 'Roos, leaving as the second-most winningest coach in program history. Another 43 wins came for Whitaker while coaching at her alma mater, Texas Tech. Whitaker also took the Red Raiders to four-straight Big 12 Tournaments. The last 68 wins have come here at Missouri Western, with Whitaker taking the Griffons to MIAA Tournaments and one Elite Eight appearance.

With two chances to achieve No. 200 this week, Whitaker says it's not just her earns these wins.

"I don't know if I've ever really thought about it," Whitaker said. "I was really fortunate at a really young age to get some opportunities and have been in some good places that gave me a chance. I've always had great players. Players win games and make plays. As long as you have players, you will have a chance to win games, and I've loved the players I've gotten to coach and staffs I've gotten to coach alongside."

BIG-TIME BUCKET-GETTER
Only 19 players in Griffon Women's Basketball history have ever eclipsed the 1,000 point mark. Junior guard and reining MIAA Athlete of the Week Brionna Budgetts needs just 57 points to join the 1,000 point club, a monumental career achievement. Budgetts currently sits at sixth in the nation for made 3-pointers, just six away from the top spot. Even more impressive, Budgetts is one of only two players to be ranked in the top 10 in 3-pointers made as well as percentage, turning her into a whole new player than when Whitaker first started coaching her in 2020.

"There's not much that can take Bri out of her competitive mode," Whitaker said. "I think that's been the biggest change. If she misses a couple, it doesn't bother her. She comes back and knows her ability to score the ball, and she believes in that."

SCOUTING FORT HAYS STATE: JAN. 26 - 5:30 PM
The Griffons are out for revenge against the Tigers (15-6, 10-3 MIAA), as Missouri Western looks to avenge its loss to Fort Hays State in St. Joseph earlier this season. The Tigers came into St. Joseph receiving votes in the national polls and came away with a tight six-point win over the Griffons on Dec. 10. Since that game, Missouri Western hasn't lost, rattling off 10-straight wins. Now the roles are reversed, with the Griffons garnering national attention and the Tigers looking to make their mark on the league once again. 

Head Coach
Tony Hobson has been running the show at Gross Memorial Coliseum for 15 years. He has an impressive record as head coach of the Tigers going 327-114 overall and 203-90 in MIAA play. He is 18-7 in his career against Missouri Western. 

Who to Watch
Only two Tigers average double-figures, but FHSU receives contributions from a number of players. Sophomore guard Katie Wagner leads the team with 13.5 points per game and 7.1 rebounds per game. She scored 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting against the Griffons earlier this season. Sophomore forward Olivia Hollenbeck is the other double-digit scorer for Fort Hays, putting up 12.7 PPG. She scored 13 points when the Tigers came to St. Joseph.

Record Rabbit Hole
The all-time series between the Tigers and Griffs is fairly evenly poised, as FHSU leads MWSU, 28-22. Both teams have done fairly well at home. Missouri Western is 6-18 in Hays. Last FHSU on the road in 2006, the Griffons have only beaten the Tigers once in Hays since Hobson took over the program, which just so happens to be last season's NCAA Central Region Championship. 

"I do know our players really like that gym," Whitaker said. "We had a special week in Hays (last season) and in their facilities. We've had a lot of experience there, so we feel probably more at home than anywhere else in the league as far as playing on the road."

Last Time Out
Box Score | Video Recap
The Griffons fell to Fort Hays at home in a tightly-contested contest, 64-58. The Griffons struggled shooting the ball, only connecting on 16.7% of their 3-point attempts and 38.5% of shots overall. Never the less, the Griffons were in the game until the very end, keeping the score between two and three possessions down the stretch. 

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY: JAN. 26
Box Score | Video Recap
Last season, the Griffons pulled off something that they had only been done three times this century: beat Central Missouri in Warrensburg. January 26 of 2022 saw the Griffons take down the Jennies in a thrilling overtime battle, 82-77. Budgetts led Missouri Western with 20 points in the game, while Connie Clarke and Jordan Cunningham both added 14 points. 

SCOUTING NEBRASKA KEARNEY - JAN. 28 - 2 PM
The Griffons look to sweep the No. 13/19 Lopers for the first time since the 2012-13 season. The Griffons are also looking for their first win against the Lopers in Kearney, Nebraska, since 2018. With UNK ranked again, this means the Griffons will have a chance to knock off their fourth ranked team of the year. Missouri Western is 3-1 against ranked teams this season. 

Head Coach
The Lopers are led by Carrie Eighmey, who is 155-71 overall as the coach of the Lopers and 102-53 in MIAA play. Eighmey is 9-6 all-time against the Griffons and is 5-1 against Missouri Western in Kearney. Before coming to Kearney, Eighmey was the head coach at Hastings University, her alma mater. 

Who to Watch
Redshirt junior forward Shiloh McCool is the leading scorer for the Lopers, putting up 11.8 points per game. Elise Backes is the only other Loper scoring in double-digits, but three other players are scoring over eight points a game for the Lopers. Nebraska-Kearney has 10 different players that play at least 10 minutes a game on average. 

Record Rabbit Hole
Missouri Western has taken on the Lopers 50 times over the years, and the Griffons have done well against UNK. The Griffs are 29-21 all-time against the Lopers but are only 3-7 in the last 10 meetings. The Griffons cruised past the Lopers in last season's Central Region Tournament and then beat them this year in St. Joseph when the Lopers were ranked No. 22/24. Those two wins mark the first time the Griffons have won back-to-back games against UNK since 2016-17. The Griffs haven't beaten UNK three times in a row since a five-game winning streak that spanned from 2000 all the way to 2014. 

Last Time Out
Box Score | Video Recap
Missouri Western took down UNK earlier this season on Dec. 8, 2022, at home, 68-65, with Clarke blocking the game-winning 3-pointer to seal the win. Since that game, both the Griffons and Lopers have only lost once, and both teams are on long winning streaks. The Griffons have won 10 in a row, while UNK has won five in a row, the only loss since falling at the MWSU Fieldhouse coming against Central Missouri on Jan. 2 in Warrensburg.

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY: JAN. 28
Box Score | Video Recap
January 28, 2017, saw the Griffons take down Northwest Missouri State behind a more-than-convincing second-half display, as the bench led Missouri Western to outscore NWMSU by 20 in the second half. Chelsea Dewey led the Griffons with 18 points, and six different Griffons scored in double-figures. 

NOTABLES

• The Griffon defense is starting to put together some impressive performances. Missouri Western has now held 14 of its 21 opponents to under 70 points. The Griffons have only lost once when holding a team to under 70. 
• Only two Griffons have started every game this year, as Whitaker has mixed up her starting five to keep opponents on their toes. The two constant starters, Clarke and Budgetts, are the two leading scorers for the high-octane Griffons, both scoring more than 14 points a game. 
• Three different players have made more than 20 3-pointers on the season, and as a team, the Griffons are outshooting opponents from beyond the arc, 35% to 31.7%. 
• The Griffons have the 25th-best scoring margin in the country, winning games by an average of 14 points. That puts the Griffons in fourth place in the MIAA.. Missouri Western has beaten both UNK and UCM, two of the three teams that are ahead of the Griffs in that category. 
• Few teams in Division II share the ball better than MWSU, as the Griffons are ninth overall in assists per game with 17.5.