ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Now the No. 23 team in the nation, Griffon Women's Basketball begins MIAA play this Thursday and Saturday against Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Griffon WBB (4-1) will hit the airwaves of KFEQ Radio, as fans can tune in with the "Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac and MWSU Director of Athletic Communications Derek Zimmerman-Guyer on the call. The games will air on KFEQ - AM 680 and the KFEQ Live Stream. Athletic Director of External Relations Paul Smith will call Saturday's game 

The games are also available to watch for a subscription fee on the MIAA Network. Both pregame shows start 30 minutes prior to tipoff. Game admission can be found in the "Tickets" tab.

NOTABLES

• Western went 1-1 last weekend at the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Classic.
• The Griffons are No. 23 in the latest WBCA Top-25 Poll.
• Missouri Western is also ranked No. 19 in the D2CSC Top-25 Poll.
• The Griffs have the second-best best field goal percentage in the MIAA at 45.7%.
• Senior forward Connie Clarke is sixth in the MIAA with 8.8 rebounds per game. 
• Clarke is also seventh with 12 steals.
• At 62.5% (12-of-28), Mackenzie Hart is currently the ninth-most accurate 3-point shooter in the MIAA. Her 2.4 treys per game rank sixth.

11/30 - SCOUTING PITTSBURG STATE | 5:30 PM
One of five remaining undefeated teams in the MIAA and receiving seven votes in the WBCA Top-25 Poll, Pitt State is off to its first 5-0 start since 2017. The Gorillas have yet to play at home and are 4-0 on the road. Pitt defeated Ouachita Baptist 86-60 on Nov. 21 and took out Henderson State 95-72 the very next day. The Gorillas' only one-possession game was an 88-86 win over Arkansas Tech on Nov. 16.

Who to Watch
Junior guard Grace Pyle leads PSU with 17.8 points per game, the fifth-best average in the MIAA. Pyle is also a problem from deep, hitting 2.8 three per game, the third most in the conference. Freshman guard Macie Mays is currently the most-accurate player in the MIAA, shooting a clip of 75%. Sophomore guard Harper Schreiner is second in the league with 5.2 assists per game, and junior Jenna Shipley is tied for second in the MIAA with eight blocks.

Head Coach
The Gorillas are led by Amanda Davied, who is in her sixth season in charge of Pitt State. She is 96-50 overall as head coach of the Gorillas and led the Gorillas to NCAA Tournament appearances in 2019 and 2023. She took over the program in 2018-19 after being an assistant for 14 years with the Gorillas. She is 6-3 vs. MWSU, 5-3 vs. Whitaker and 3-2 at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
Since first meeting in 1976, the Griffons hold a 54-33 edge over the Gorillas and are 31-11 at home. The season series was split last season, with MWSU winning in Pittsburg and PSU winning in St. Joseph in the regular-season finale. 

Last Time We Met
Box Score
With MWSU playing for a potential share the MIAA Championship, the Griffs fell in a tough way on their Senior Day at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Despite Western taking a 33-32 lead at halftime thanks to a 2-point jumper from Trinity Knapp, the Gorillas answered in the fourth quarter with a game-winning putback by Schreiner in the final seconds of the game.

12/2 - SCOUTING MISSOURI SOUTHERN | 1:30 PM
Shaking a two-game skid, Missouri Southern (3-2) got back in the win column as of late. The Lions defeated Midwestern State 90-49 on Nov. 25 a day after losing to Angelo State 80-61 at the Rambelle Thanksgiving Classic in San Angelo, Texas. Southern started the season 2-0 and is 0-1 vs. ranked teams this season. Lions will play Northwest Missouri State on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. in Maryville, Missouri.

Who to Watch
Senior guard Kryslyn Jones is 14th in the MIAA with 13.2 PPG. Redshirt freshman Ryan Franklin sits in eighth place with 8.4 RPG. Western will need to keep an eye out for junior guard Mia Topping, who is second in the MIAA with 16 steals. 

Head Coach
Ronnie Ressel is 112-98 overall in his eighth season as head coach of MSSU. Taking over in 2016, he was named the 2021-22 MIAA Coach of the year and guided his team to the NCAA Central Regional finals in 2022-23. He is 6-7 vs. MWSU, 4-4 vs. Whitaker and 1-5 at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
The Griffons hold the advantage in the all-time series 61-38. Since 2001, MWSU is 14-4 when the Lions compete in the in MWSU Fieldhouse and hold a 39-9 all-time advantage at home. The Griffons have won the last four games in St. Joseph dating back to 2018, but Southern has won the last three overall matchups. 

Last Time We Met
Box Score
Despite a 19-point day by Brionna Budgetts, Southern defeated Western 75-69 on Dec. 3, 2022, in Joplin, Missouri. Clarke snagged a career-high 16 rebounds, the fourth most in program history to go along with her 13 points. Then-junior forward Mary Fultz chipped in 10 points. 

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON WBB HISTORY
Nov. 30 | Box Score
Starting their own MIAA schedule, the 2016-17 Griffons blasted Northeastern State 74-50 at the NSU Event Center. Western improved to 7-1 thanks to a solid night by Savannah Lentz, who went off for a team-high 14 points. The Griffons held Northeastern to 32.7% from the field and 21.1% from 3-point range.

Dec. 2 | Box Score
Also launching their MIAA slate in 2015-16, the Griffons downed Central Missouri 78-55 in Warrensburg, Missouri. LaQuinta Jefferson scored a game-high 16 points, grabbing a game-high eight boards in the process. Western outrebounded UCM 43-25.