ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — After a split start to MIAA play, Griffon Women's Basketball takes on the best the league has to offer in their first conference road trip of the season, taking on Nebraska Kearney this Thursday and No. 18 Fort Hays State on Saturday.

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Griffon WBB (5-2, 1-1 MIAA) 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. 

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

• Missouri Western went 1-1 in MIAA play last weekend.
• The Griffons received 15 votes in the latest WBCA Top-25 Poll.
• Western is seventh in the MIAA standings.
• The Griffs are holding teams to 26.9% from 3-point range, the fourth-best mark in the MIAA.
• Western only turns the ball on average 13.1 times per game, good for second in the conference.
• Senior forward Connie Clarke is ninth in the MIAA with 8.3 rebounds per game. 
• Clarke's free-throw clip of 85.2% is sixth in the MIAA.
• Clarke is also seventh with 15 steals.
• Junior guard Alyssa Bonilla leads the team with 15 assists.
• Clarke and freshman forward Tiani Ellison are tied for the team lead with four blocks apiece.
• Junior guard Mackenzie Hart is second on the team with 9.1 points per game. Clarke is first with 12.7. 
• Hart is also shooting 40.6% from three. Her 13 made treys and 1.9 threes made per game rank 13th in the MIAA.

12/7 - SCOUTING NEBRASKA KEARNEY | 5:30 PM
The Lopers (7-1, 1-1 MIAA) started the season winners of seven straight, last falling on the road to Northeastern State 74-71 on Dec. 2. Nebraska Kearney is a perfect 4-0 at home, winning by an average margin of 49.5 points per game when playing inside the Health & Sports Center. Kearney's three-point loss to NSU stands as the Lopers' only one-possession game of the season.

Kearney is second in the MIAA with 80.4 PPG on offense and first on defense with only 53.1 points given up per game. The Lopers' average margin margin of victory of 27.3 ranks first.

Who to Watch
Fifth-year forward Shiloh McCool is eighth in the MIAA with 14.5 PPG and second with 10 rebounds per contest, making her one of just two players in the conference to average a double-double. She's also fifth in the league with a field-goal clip of 50%. Out of UNK's eight games, McCool has scored 11 or more points in six of them. Her best friend on the court is sophomore guard Jillian Aschoff, whose 5.1 assists per game rank second in the MIAA. Aschoff also has the best assist/turnover ratio in the conference at 2.7, and she leads the league with 23 steals. Junior guard Meg Burns (11.4 PPG) and graduate student forward Kia Wilson (10.8 PPG) are also proven scorers and can cause trouble for opposing defenses.

Head Coach
In his first season with UNK as the eighth coach in program history, Drew Johnson is in season No. 7 of his career. Since his first job with Bethel in 2017, Johnson is 84-97 overall. He has faced MWSU twice thanks to his two-season stint with Newman from 2021-23. During that period, he went 0-2 vs. MWSU and Head Coach Candi Whitaker.

Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
Now 29-22 all-time against UNK, Western's rivalry with the Lopers dates back to 1976. Since 1977, the Griffs are 7-12 in Kearney, Nebraska, and haven't won there since Feb. 26, 2018, losing the last four road matchups. Western's last regular-season win at Kearney was on Jan. 9, 2013. 

Last Time We Met
Box Score
It was tough sledding for the Griffons last time out vs. the Lopers, falling 91-55 on Jan. 28, 2023, in Kearney. McCool scored a game-high 16 points and made 7-of-10 shots from the field. She was complemented by Meg Burns' 15 points off the bench and 3-of-3 makes from downtown. The Griffons were led by Clarke's 13  points. 

12/9 - SCOUTING FORT HAYS STATE | 2 PM
Tabbed No. 18 in the latest WBCA Top-25 Poll, Fort Hays State (6-0, 2-0 MIAA) will compete in a battle of the unbeaten before the Tigers take on MWSU this Saturday. Hays hosts Northwest Missouri State (7-0, 2-0 MIAA) this Thursday at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays, Kansas. This also serves as Hays' home opener as the Tigers are 3-0 on the road and 3-0 in neutral-site games. Hays does have one win over a ranked team this season, defeating then-No. 2-ranked Minnesota State-Mankato 83-67 on Nov. 11 in the Central Region Showcase at the St. Joseph Civic Arena.

As far as numbers go, Hays has the second-best scoring defense in the league, holding teams to 54 PPG. 

Who to Watch
Junior guard Katie Wagner is a returning two-time All-MIAA player, making the first team in 2022-23. She is fourth in the MIAA with 17.3 PPG and ranks sixth with 8.7 RPG. Her field-gal clip of 52.2% is lethal, putting her in fourth place. Joining Wagner is junior guard Sydney Golladay, who is seventh with 3.8 assists per game. Her assist/turnover ratio of 2.6 ranks third in the MIAA. Junior forward Olivia Hollenbeck is a bully near the baseline, blocking the third-most shots in the conference with nine so far this season. Her 1.5 blocks per game rank second. 

Head Coach
Taking over for the retired Toby Hobson, Talia Kahrs is the team's new head coach after serving as an assistant for the last 11 years. Starting in 2011, the Griffons are 6-14 vs. the Tigers with Kahrs on staff.

Record Rivalry Rabbit Hole
Western is 24-35 all-time vs. Hays since first playing in 1976. Since 1977, the Griffons are 7-19 when playing the Tigers in Hays, winning the last two meetings. 

Last Time We Met
Box Score
Last meeting in the MIAA Tournament Quarterfinals on March 3, 2023, the Tigers defeated the Griffons 71-62 at Municipal Auditorium. While Clarke dropped a game-high 23 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, Wagner also scored 23 points and was complemented by 12 more from Hollenbeck. Then-junior guard Brionna Budgetts scored 15 off the bench, but the Griffs could not find the mark from downtown, making 2-of-18 3-point attempts.

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON WBB HISTORY
Dec. 7 | Box Score
Picking up their first MIAA win in year one under Candi Whitaker, the 2019-20 Griffons handily defeated Lincoln 66-47 in Jefferson City, Missouri. Corbyn Cunningham led MWSU with a game-high 17 points, while Chris Wilson notched a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Western held the Blue Tigers to a goose egg in the 3-point department, as Lincoln went 0-of-14 from deep.

Dec. 9 | Box Score
Thanks to a pair of double-doubles from Corbyn Cunningham and Clarke, the 2021-22 Griffons soundly beat 88-52 in Jefferson City. Cunningham dropped 21 points and snagged 10 rebounds, while Clarke went off for 14 points and 12 rebounds, collecting the fourth double-double of her career. Budgetts tallied 14 points, and then-sophomore forward Jordan Cunningham contributed 13. Off the bench, Bonilla scored a then-career-high 14 points. Meanwhile, Lincoln only made 4-of-20 shots from deep.