ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Now ranked as the No. 12 team in the nation, Griffon Women's Basketball is set to compete in this weekend's St. Mary's Thanksgiving Classic in San Antonio, Texas.

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Both Missouri Western State (3-0) games this weekend can be watched for a fee on the Lone Star Conference Network.

NOTABLES

• The Griffons jumped 13 spots to No. 12 in the latest WBCA Top-25 Poll.
• Missouri Western is also ranked No. 19 in the D2CSC Top-25 Poll.
• Averaging 92.3 points per game, Missouri Western has the No. 1 scoring offense in the MIAA and seventh-best in Division II. 
• Western's scoring margin of 26 ranks third in the conference in 14th in the country.
• The Griffs have the best field goal percentage in the MIAA at 50.3%. That clip also ranks them fifth throughout DII.
• Senior forward Connie Clarke is fifth in the MIAA with 18 PPG, scoring 21 points last time out vs. Saint Mary and 25 the game prior vs. Concordia-St. Paul.
• Freshman guard Tiani Ellison has the second-best shooting percentage in the MIAA, holstering a clip of 66.7% (10-of-15) from the field. 
• At 62.5% (10-of-16), Mackenzie Hart is currently the most accurate 3-point shooter in the MIAA and is 12th in DII.
• With 11 assists and just two turnovers, junior guard Alyssa Bonilla has the best assist/turnover ratio in the MIAA at 5.5.
• Western is one of six undefeated teams left in the MIAA.

11/24 - SCOUTING ST. MARY'S | 6 PM
Giving up 75 PPG, the second most in the LSC, St. Mary's (0-2) is off to a winless start and is making its home debut this weekend. The Rattlers lost 81-68 to Colorado School of Mines on Nov. 10 before falling 69-62 to a receiving-votes Regis team on Nov. 11 in the South Central Region Crossover in Golden, Colorado. St. Mary's went 0-2 vs. top-25 teams last season and last beat a ranked team on Nov. 23, 2021. The Rattlers beat No. 1-ranked Central Missouri 101-97 win in double overtime in San Antonio at the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Classic. St. Mary's went 8-20 last season, 7-10 at home and missed the LSC Tournament.

Who to Watch
Freshman forward Taylor Haggan is off to a good start in her young career, leading the LSC with 21 PPG. She scored 20 points vs. Mines and 22 more against Regis, shooting 53.1% through two games. Haggan is also tough to defend on the boards, leading the LSC with 13 rebounds a game and collecting double-doubles with 11 and 15 rebounds vs. Mines and Regis, respectively. The freshman frenzy continues with guard Ramsey Robledo, who is fifth in the LSC with a 3-pointer clip of 50% (4-of-8). 

Head Coach
Valerie Huizar is in her second year with St. Mary's and is 8-22 as a Rattler. In her four-season career as a head coach dating back to 2014-16 with LSU-Shreveport, Huizar is 49-43. She has never faced MWSU.

Record Rabbit Hole
Dating back to 2003, the Griffons are 3-0 vs. the Rattlers and 1-0 in San Antonio. 

Last Time Out
Box Score
The year was 2006, and the top song of the season was Daniel Powter's "Bad Day', which is exactly what the Rattlers had after losing a 39-38 lead against the Griffons. Ranked No. 24 in the nation, Western went off for 33 second-half points to win 71-63, dropping St. May's to 1-8 while improving MWSU's record to 6-0. Four Griffon starters scored in double digits, led by Yanique Javois and Inga Buzoka's 14 points. Buzoka crashed the boards all game long, snagging a game-high nine rebounds. 

11/25 - SCOUTING TEXAS A&M-KINGSVILLE | 2 PM
Countering an 0-3 start with two consecutive wins, Texas A&M-Kingsville (2-3) is coming off an 18-10 season that ended in the quarterfinal round of the LSC Tournament. The Javelinas took to the road to beat Western Colorado 74-60 on Nov. 17 and defeated Adams State 69-66 on Nov. 18. Kingsville is 0-2 vs. top-25 teams this season, last beating a ranked team on Dec. 8, 2022, in a 71-60 effort vs. No. 2 West Texas A&M. 

Who to Watch
Sophomore guard Shelby Ray is 13th in the LSC with 14.2 PPG, scoring 13 or more points in the last four games. With 11.8 PPG, junior guard Mia Rivers is eighth in the LSC with 8.0 rebounds per game. Junior guard Jayde Tschritter is third in the conference with a 3-pointer percentage of 50% (13-of-26). Ray is tied for third with her, making 10-of-20 shots from beyond the arc. 

Head Coach
Now 49-53 in his career, Michael Madrid is in his fifth season with Kingsville. He has never faced MWSU.

Record Rabbit Hole
Western has only faced Kingsville twice before, beating the Javelinas in 1995 and 2003. 

Last Time Out
The last time these two faced off, the Griffons won 82-63 on Dec. 17, 2003. 

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON WBB HISTORY
Nov. 24 | Box Score
The 2012 Griffons started a four-game winning streak on this day, defeating Lincoln 65-57 in Jefferson City, Missouri. Western limited Lincoln to 32.8% shooting from the field and 28.6% from 3-point range. Heather Howard led MWSU with 14 points and a game-high 13 rebounds, and Brittany Griswold scored 10 points off the bench.

Nov 25 | Box Score
In the middle of a five-game winning streak, Western ran away from Missouri S&T with an 87-56 win in the Holiday Inn Express/Candlewood Suites Classic at the MWSU Fieldhouse. The Griffons shot fireballs from downtown, making 11-of-20 threes (55%) while holding the Miners to a 25% (5-of-20) clip from downtown. Playing off the bench, Savannah Lentz scored a game-high 20 points, complementing Dwanisha Tate's 14-point night. The Griffons also outrebounded S&T 39-35.