ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Missouri Western Women's Basketball hosts Pittsburg State in a regional rankings rumble on Saturday at the MWSU Fiedlhouse with massive conference championship and NCAA Tournament implications. 

KEEPING UP WITH THE GRIFFONS
Fans that can't get to Looney can tune into 680/95.3 KFEQ to hear "The Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac call the game inside the Looney Complex. Fans that would like to watch the game can do so by purchasing a subscription to the MIAA Network. Tune in at 1 p.m. for the start of coverage, including an exclusive interview with Griffon Head Coach Candi Whitaker. 

SETTING THE STAGE
Opportunities to hoist a conference championship trophy on your home floor don't come often, but the Griffons may have that chance on Saturday if the cards fall in their favor. A Griffon win and a Nebraska Kearney loss against Fort Hays State would mean the Griffons would win a share of the conference championship and lock up the number one seed in the MIAA tournament. Anything less than that could see the Griffons finish as low as the third seed in conference, locking them into a matchup with Fort Hays or Missouri Southern in the first round at Municipal Auditorium. 

Both teams currently sit in the top eight of the regional rankings. With the Griffons in seventh and the Gorillas in eighth, the cutoff for the Central Region Tournament is eight. A win for either team goes a long way in securing their NCAA Tournament bid, while a loss potentially bumps them out of the top eight all together.

HISTORY BECKONS
The last time the Griffons won at least a share of the MIAA Regular Season Championship came in 2016. That day also included results coming in from a Fort Hays State road game, as the Tigers' loss secured the outright championship for the Griffons. This season has eerie similarities to that historic run, with the Griffons only dropping one game at home so far this year, matching the result of that 2015-16 team. That season was Rob Edmisson's fourth year in charge of the Griffons, and 2022-23 happens to be Whitaker's fourth year running the show at the MWSU Fieldhouse. 
 
SENIOR DAY
The Griffons will honor Kameron Freemyer on Saturday as the team's only senior. Missouri Western will also honor Graduate Assistant Trevor Moyer and player-turned-Graduate Assistant Jaelyn Haggard, as they both will graduate their respective programs this spring.

HIGH-POWERED HOOPERS
The Griffons and Gorillas have the highest-scoring offenses in the league, with Pitt State scoring 78.1 points per game and the Griffons scoring 75.4. The Griffons have scored more points overall due to playing two extra games. The Griffons have the better defense between the two schools, only allowing 62.2 PPG while Pitt State is giving up 68 per night. 

SCOUTING PITTSBURG STATE: FEB. 25 - 1:30 PM
The Gorillas are locked into the game that will pair the fourth and fifth seed together in the first round of the MIAA tournament. Pitt can not move up, and the Gorillas can only fall one spot depending on results. 

Head Coach
The Gorillas are led by Amanda Davied, who is in her fifth year in charge of Pitt State. She is 89-47 overall as head coach of the Gorillas, while boasting a 67-35 record in conference. She led the Gorillas to an NCAA Tournament appearance in 2019. She took over the program in 2018-19 after being an assistant for 14 years with the Gorillas. She is 5-3 vs. MWSU, 4-3 vs. Whitaker and 2-2 at the MWSU Fieldhouse.

Who to Watch
Three players are all averaging 13 or more points for the Gorillas, with Tristan Gegg leading the way. Gegg is going ballistic from deep, nailing 80 3-pointers on the season on the way to averaging 14.9 PPG. Karenna Gerber is the exact opposite, having zero shots from beyond the arc this season but averaging 14.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. Grace Pyle is adding 13.9 PPG and 6.5 RPG to round out the trio. Harper Schreiner is also scoring in double-figures, putting up 10.3 PPG.
 
Record Rabbit Hole
Pitt State and the Griffons have a long history together, and the Griffons have the edge overall since first meeting in 1976. Missouri Western is 54-32 all-time against PSU and 31-10 at home. The Griffons have won three out of the last four matchups against the Gorillas.
 
Last Time Out
Box Score | Video Recap
The Griffons won in an overtime thriller on Dec. 1, 2022, in Pittsburg, 80-74, led by Connie Clarke's 21 points and 11 rebounds. Five Griffons scored in double-digits, and the key to the Griffon's victory was points in transition, as they won that battle, 16-5. Gegg led the Gorillas with 23 points, while Gerber scored 20 points and grabbed 17 rebounds in the PSU loss.
 
NOTABLES

• The matchup will showcase two of the best shooters in the nation, with both Brionna Budgetts and Gegg sitting in the top 15 for 3-pointers made and top 25 in 3-point percentage.
• Budgetts needs just 11 3-pointers to tie the MWSU season record of 86 set by Katrina Roenfeldt in 2019. She is also just 100 points away from tying the season scoring record of 595 set by Jessica Koch in 2012. 
• Clarke sits at No. 25 in the nation in steals with 78.

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY: FEB. 25
Box Score
February 25, 2006, saw the Griffons defeat Pittsburg State on the last day of the regular season in decisive fashion, with Bradi Rodger's 16 points leading MWSU to a 73-50 victory. The Griffons never trailed in that game and held the Gorillas to just five second-chance points and two-fast break points.