ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Fresh off a furious victory over Washburn, Griffon Women's Basketball looks to keep their fantastic form going against Emporia State on Saturday at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
KEEPING UP WITH THE GRIFFONS
KFEQ Radio will broadcast the game live on the 680 AM and 95.3 FM with the "Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac on the call. Fans that want to watch the game can purchase a subscription to the MIAA network. Admission can be purchased by clicking on the "Tickets" tab above. Catch an exclusive interview with Head Coach
Candi Whitaker during the pregame show.
PINK OUT DAY
Missouri Western will wear its pink uniforms to shine a spotlight on breast cancer awareness.
GRIFFS ON FIRE
Currently in third place in the MIAA, Missouri Western (19-5, 13-3 MIAA) has won 12 of its last 13 games, including a win over then No. 5/2 Central Missouri. The only stumble of 2023 calendar year came last weekend in Kearney, Nebraska, as the Griffs fell to No. 13/19 UNK. The Griffons bounced back in a big way on Wednesday night, beating Washburn by 20 on Gold Rush Night behind
Brionna Budgetts' 29 points. Those 29 points were enough to push Budgetts over the 1,000-career points mark for the Griffons, a milestone only 19 before her have ever hit.
LOONEY LUNACY
Four of the last six games the Griffons play are at the MWSU Fieldhouse inside the Looney Complex. Whitaker's team have only lost once at home this season and only four times dating back to the beginning of last season. The Griffons play host to Emporia State on Saturday before hitting the road for a pair of games in Oklahoma. They will return home on Feb. 18 to face Northwest Missouri State.
SCOUTING EMPORIA STATE: FEB. 4 - 1:30 PM
Winners of three games in a row, the seventh-place Hornets (12-10, 7-9 MIAA) head to St. Joe with wins over Northeastern Rogers State and Northwest in their rearview mirror. Every win was decided by at least 10 points, with ESU defeating its last three opponents by an average margin of 18 points. The Hornets are 4-8 since last playing MWSU on Dec. 17, 2022, previously starting the season 8-1. Before this winning streak, ESU endured a season-high eight-game losing streak.
Head Coach
Toby Wynn is in his fifth season at the helm of the ESU Women's basketball program. He is 90-46 in his time in charge, going 61-35 in MIAA play. Under his direction, the Hornets have qualified for the NCAA Tournament three times. He is 4-3 vs. MWSU, 4-2 vs. Whitaker and 2-1 inside the MWSU Fieldhouse.
Who to Watch
Redshirt junior guard Tre'Zure Jobe leads the Hornets with 422 points and 50 assists, putting up an MIAA-high 21.1 points per game. She is first in the MIAA in points scored, but Budgetts is right behind her with 420 of her own. Sophomore guard Ehlaina Hartman is averaging 5.2 rebounds per game to lead ESU.
Record Rabbit Hole
The Griffons are 37-57 all-time against Emporia State and are 18-19 when playing the Hornets in St. Joseph. In the last ten games, Missouri Western is 4-6 against the Emporia State.
Last Time Out
Box Score | Video Recap
Despite coming in at 9-1 overall and 4-0 within the conference, Emporia State could not run with MWSU back on Dec. 17, falling to the Griffs, 82-74, at White Auditorium in Emporia. It was business as usual for Budgetts and junior guard
Connie Clarke, with both scoring 24 and 19 points, respectively. Budgetts went ballistic from downtown, hitting 6-of-12 threes, which is tied for the second most in program history. The Hornets brought the game within two points at 72-70, but a triple by sophomore guard
Abby Bala at the 4:20 minute mark put the Griffons back in fifth gear for the rest of game.
ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON WOMEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY: FEB. 4
Box Score | Video Recap
Back in 2018, the Griffs were riding a cool four-game winning streak into Jefferson City, where they defeated Lincoln handedly, 78-59. Missouri Western used an 8-0 run in the second quarter to take a 22-21 lead that it never relinquished. A 13-2 start in the third quarter bolstered MWSU's lead, as the Griffons were led by Dwanisha Tate's team-high 17 points.
NOTABLES
- Clarke is eighth in the country with 68 steals.
- Clarke is 2nd in the MIAA with 9.2 rebounds per game and first overall with 220 total boards. Overall, her 220 rebounds ranks 15h in Division II.
- Budgetts is the top 3-point shooter in the MIAA, leading the conference at 47.5% while ranking sixth in all of DII.
- Budgetts also has the seventh-most made threes in DII with 66 this season.
- Bala is nine points away from scoring 100 this season.
- Whitaker will be honored for her 200th-career win on Saturday before the starting lineups are announced.
