MARYVILLE, Mo. – The first of two regular-season meetings against archrival Northwest Missouri State tips off this Saturday in Maryville, Missouri, as the Griffons head up Highway 71 to take on the Bearcats in a heated clash.

KEEPING UP WITH THE GRIFFONS
KFEQ Radio will broadcast the game live on 680 AM and 95.3 FM with the "Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac and Paul Smith 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.

SETTING THE STAGE
Missouri Western (12-4, 6-2 MIAA) is up to fourth in the conference after two lopsided wins over Rogers State and Northeastern State. Five-straight wins have the Griffs rolling on their best winning streak of  the season, as Whitaker's team looks to extend the run to six, the longest since a January run last season. 
 
BRI FOR THREE
There are very few people who are shooting the ball better in Division II than junior guard Brionna Budgetts. Forty-two made 3-pointers puts her in fifth place in the country, and she's only shot it from deep 92 times, the third fewest in the top-10 most made. With just under half the season left, Budgetts is on pace to smash school records. If Budgetts is able to replicate her first-half performance in just the 14 regular-season games remaining, she would find herself in second place for most made 3-pointers in a season and first in 3-point percentage. Her free-throw percentage is also on pace to finish in the top 10 in school history. 

HELPING HAND
Missouri Western is now No. 2 in assists throughout the country with 291. The Griffons' 18.2 assists per game as a team has them in ninth place all throughout Division II. Fort Hays State is the next closest team in APG in the MIAA at 16.6.

SCOUTING NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE: JAN. 7 - 1:30 PM
The Bearcats of Northwest Missouri State (7-6, 2-5 MIAA) have had a rough start to conference play this season after starting 4-1 in non-conference play. Their last two games have been the same as the Griffons with wins over Northeastern and Rogers State, beating the RiverHawks, 67-55, and the Hillcats, 53-50. 

Head Coach
Austin Meyer is in his fifth year in charge of the Bearcats. Under Meyer, the Bearcats have a 49-71 overall record and are 31-58 in MIAA play. His most successful season was the 2021-22 season, as he led NWMSU to its first winning season since 2012-13 with a mark of 17-12 overall and 12-10 in the MIAA . Prior to taking over the women's program, Meyer was the associate head coach for the Bearcats' highly-successful men's basketball program. 

Who to Watch
Molly Hartnett is the only Bearcat scoring in double figures this season, putting up 12.7 points per game on 41% shooting from the floor and 31% shooting from three. Kelsey Fields is scoring 7.9 points per game and is ripping down 9.5 rebounds per game, putting her in second in the MIAA in RPG. Peyton Kelderman is the only Bearcat with more than 10 made 3-pointers, knocking down 27 on the season. 

Record Rabbit Hole
The Griffons have had success in the past against Northwest, leading the all-time series, 45-26. Since 2000, the Griffons are 9-11 at Bearcat Arena and 26-14 overall. Since 2010, the Griffons have only lost to the Bearcats five times when MWSU scores more than 50 points. 

Last time out
February 5, 2022, saw a sold-out MWSU Fieldhouse watch the Griffons cruise to a big win over the Bearcats. Corbyn Cunningham finished with 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Griffons, while Connie Clarke added 12 points and 14 rebounds. The Griffons used a big second quarter to pull away from NWMSU, outscoring the Bearcats, 21-9, in period two. 

NOTABLES

• Junior guard Connie Clarke has seven double-doubles on the season, good for an 11th-place tie in the country. Her 46 steals rank her second in DII.
• After a few weeks in second, the Griffons have reclaimed the best scoring offense in the MIAA, putting up 79.3 points per game. This is the 12th-best PPG mark in DII.
• Junior guard Camille Evans is just four points away from 300 in her career.

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL: JAN. 7
On this day in 2017 saw the Griffons take down Missouri Southern, 77-65. Julia Torres led the Griffons with 17 points, one of five MWSU players in double-figures. Chelsea Dewey scored 11 points and grabbed six rebounds while dishing out eight assists.