ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — After getting back on track with a big win over Northwest Missouri State, Griffon WBB stays home this weekend to take on Newman and Central Oklahoma at the MWSU Fieldhouse inside the Looney Complex.

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Griffon WBB (11-4, 6-3 MIAA) will once again hit the airwaves of KFEQ Radio, as fans can tune in with "The Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac and analyst Rob Edmisson on the call. The games will air on KFEQ - AM 680 and the KFEQ Live Stream. 

Games are also available to watch for a subscription fee on the MIAA Network. The pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to tipoff. Game admission and parking passes can be found in the "Tickets" tab.

GOLD RUSH NIGHT
It's time to paint the MWSU Fieldhouse gold! Well, even more gold than it already is. Thursday's game vs. Newman will be Gold Rush Night, where all Griffon students with MWSU IDs will receive a free Gold Rush T-shirt. Those shirts can be found on the east side of Tom Smith Court over by the concessions stand.

NOTABLES

• Missouri Western is in a four-team tie for third place in the MIAA standings.
• MWSU is second in the MIAA and 17th in NCAA Division II With 76.6 points per game. Its scoring defense ranks fourth in the MIAA and 47th in DII with 58.7 points given up per game.
• Western's average margin of victory of 17.9 points in first in the conference and ninth in the nation.
• With 955 field goal attempts, the fourth-most in the MIAA and 12th-most in DII, MWSU is shooting 44.7% from the field, good for third in the conference and 47th in the country.
• The Griffs are first in the conference and are 12th in the country with 119 threes made this season. Western is first in the MIAA and 33rd in DII with 7.9 treys made per game.
• Opponents are shooting a league-low 65.4% from the free-throw line when playing MWSU.
• MWSU is fifth in the conference with 39.5 rebounds per game.
• With 28.1 defensive rebounds MWSU is fourth in the MIAA.
• Western only turns the ball over on average 13.3 times per game, good for second in the conference.
• With 276 turnovers forced, MWSU is third in the MIAA. The Griffs are second with 18.4 turnovers forced per game.
• Western's turnover margin of 5.1 stands alone on top of the conference and is 25th in DII.
• With an assist/turnover ratio of 1.23, MWSU is first in the MIAA and sixth in DII.
• The Griffons are third in the MIAA with 245 assists. They are third in the conference and tied for 27th in DII with 16.3 assists per game.
• Western is second in the MIAA with 172 steals and first with 11.5 steals per game. With 11.5 spg, MWSU is 34th in DII.
• Senior forward Connie Clarke is eighth in the MIAA with 7.3 rebounds per game and 16th with 11.8 ppg.
• Clarke is also second in the MIAA with 36 steals and 2.4 spg. 
• Clarke also leads the team with 12 blocks, placing her 14th within the league.
• Junior guard Alyssa Bonilla leads the team with 36 assists and 2.4 assists per game, which are 18th and 20 in the MIAA. 
• Senior guard Brionna Budgetts is 16th in the MIAA with 22 made threes.  Junior guards Jayme Jackson and Mackenzie Hart are 19th with 19 made threes.

1/18 - SCOUTING NEWMAN | 5:30 PM
Coming in at 14th and last place in the conference, Newman (2-14, 1-9 MIAA) is just 1-5 when away this season. The Jets most recently lost to Northeastern State 68-62 on Jan. 13 in Wichita, Kansas. Newman's last win was on Jan. 3, beating Emporia State on the road 68-58. Since then, the Jets have lost three straight by an average margin of 14 points. 

Newman is last in the MIAA with a scoring margin of -15.4, scoring offense of 58.7 ppg and scoring defense of 74.1 ppg. However, the Jets do lead the league with 76 blocked shots, the eighth-most in DII. Leading the MIAA with 4.8 blocks per game, Newman is 15th in the country. 

Who to Watch
Senior guard Carissa Beck leads Newman with 9.0 ppg and is the team's top 3-point shooter with 27 treys made good for 12th in the MIAA. She is also shooting 36.5% from deep this season. Freshman forward Delainey Wylie is the team's leading rebounder with 84 boards, coming in at 24th place in the MIAA with 5.3 rpg. With 34 blocks this season, not only does Wylie lead the MIAA, but she is 15th in the country. With 2.1 bpg, she is tied for first in the MIAA and 20th in DII.

Head Coach
Amy Briggs is in her first year leading the Jets. Briggs began her coaching career at Missouri Valley College in Marshall as a graduate assistant. She was part of producing an NAIA All-American honorable mention, four All-Heart of America Conference performers and an HOA Conference Newcomer of the Year.

Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
Since first playing in 2004, MWSU is 9-0 all-time vs. Newman. The Griffons are 5-0 when the Jets fly into St. Joseph, and in this overall series, Western is winning by an average margin of 23.8 points.

Last Time We Met
Box Score
Last playing on Feb. 22, 2023, MWSU capped a six-game winning streak with a 97-49 victory over Newman inside the MWSU Fieldhouse. Starting the game on a 6-0 run, the Griffons never trailed and led 55-23 at halftime, not looking back for the rest of the day. Six Griffs scored in double figures, while Western as a team scored 59 bench points, dished 27 assists and forced 23 Newman turnovers. 

1/20 - SCOUTING CENTRAL OKLAHOMA | 1:30 PM
Second-to-last in the conference at 13th, Central Oklahoma (3-13, 2-8 MIAA) is winless on the road, coming to St. Joseph with an 0-6 away record. The Bronchos broke a six-game skid with a 69-60 victory over Rogers State on Jan. 13 in Edmond, Oklahoma. Dating back to last season, UCO's last road win was on Feb. 11, 2023, at Washburn.

Central Oklahoma is second-to-last in the conference in offensive ppg (64.2), defensive scoring (72.5) and scoring margin (-8.3). The Bronchos are feisty on defense, however, leading the MIAA in steals with 174. Central Oklahoma is 47th in DII with 10.9 spg, second only to MWSU (11.5 spg) within the conference. The Bronchos will play Northwest Missouri State on Thursday night in Maryville, Missouri.

Who to Watch
Sophomore forward Reagan Fox is UCO's main threat on offense, averaging a team-high 9.8 ppg. The top rebounders for the Brocnhos are junior forward Alena Wilson (5.5 rpg) and senior guard Aliyah Llanusa (5.2 rpg), ranking 23rd and 25th in the MIAA. Junior guard Karly Wadsworth is ninth in the MIAA with 28 made threes, while Fox is 14th with 26. Wadsworth is also 12th in the conference with 26 steals, averaging 1.6 spg.

Head Coach
Now in her second season leading UCO, Emma Andrews is 14-30 as Broncho. She is 87-117 in her eight-year career, going 73-87 with Cameron from 2016-22. Andrews is 0-2 vs. MWSU and Head Coach Candi Whitaker, with Saturday serving as her first game playing the Griffs in St. Joseph. 

Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
First playing in 2003, MWSU is 10-6 in the all-time series vs. UCO. Playing just four times in St. Joseph, the Griffons are 2-2 at home vs. Bronchos. Western has won the last two overall meetings, last falling on Feb. 24, 2021, in St. Joseph.

Last Time We Met
Box Score
Only facing off once last season, MWSU defeated UCO 71-55 on Jan. 14, 2023, in Edmond. Budgetts led the way with a game-high 20 points, shooting 8-of-10 from the field and 3-of-4 from downtown. Clarke chipped in with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, complemented by 12 more points from Mary Fultz. After falling behind 2-0 on the game's opening bucket, Western took a 23-8 lead into the second quarter and never trailed again.

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON WBB HISTORY
Jan. 18 | Box Score | Video Recap
Breaking a three-game losing streak in 2014, MWSU defeated then-MIAA foe Southwest Baptist 73-63 at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Quenisha Lockett led the Griffon starters with 12 points, while Sharniece Lewis provided 12 more points off the bench. Western started the game on a 13-0 run and never relinquished the lead.

Jan. 20 | Box Score | Video Recap
Western Assistant Coach Emily Wacker filled in as head coach on this day in 2022, guiding her team to a 70-37 win in Wichita. Budgetts was the brunt of the offense, scoring a game-high 18 points while shooting 4-of-7 from deep and 6-of-12 from the field. The Griffs held Newman to just 25% from the field and 29.4% from 3-point range, forcing 31 turnovers in the process.