ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Back in the win column after a win over Avila, Griffon MBB returns to conference play this week to take on Rogers State and Northeastern State in Oklahoma.

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Griffon MBB (9-3, 3-3 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. 
 
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

• With their 90-37 win over Avila on Dec. 30, the Griffons scored at least 90 points for the third time this season.
• Missouri Western State is ninth in the MIAA.
• With 91 threes made this season, Missouri Western is fifth in the conference.
• Western's 3-point defense is holding teams to 28.9%, good for second in the MIAA and 22nd in NCAA Division II. 
• The Griffons are the second-best rebounding team in the conference, pulling down 37.8 rebounds per game. They are first with 28.2 defensive RPG, which is 33rd in DII.
• With 54 blocked shots, MWSU is third in the MIAA. Western is third with 4.50 blocks per game.
• Senior forward JaRon Thames is seventh in the MIAA with 16.4 points per game. 
• Thames is also second in the conference in field goals made with 78. His clip of 53.8% ranks ninth. 
• With 405 minutes played, Thames is seventh in the MIAA.
• Junior guard Taye Fields leads the MIAA with 115 boards and 9.6 rebounds per game, ranking him 14th and 18th in DII. The next closest player in the MIAA has 101 rebounds.
• With 86 defensive rebounds, Fields is 11th in DII and first in the MIAA.
• Junior guard Julius Dixon is tied for seventh in the MIAA with 22 made threes. Junior guard Zion Swader is tied for eighth with 21, and senior guard Reese Glover is tied for ninth with 20. 
• Swader is seventh in the MIAA with a free-throw clip of 86.5%, and Fields is 15th at 81.4%. 
• On top of that, Swader is also tied for sixth with 18 steals.
• Fields is tied for third in the MIAA with 52 assists. His 4.3 APG rank sixth.
• With 17 blocks, junior forward Kiani Saxon is fourth in the MIAA. Fields is tied for fifth with 16 blocks. 

1/4 - SCOUTING ROGERS STATE | 7:30 PM
Currently in eighth and one spot ahead of MWSU in the conference standings, Rogers State (6-5, 3-2 MIAA)  has won three of its last four games, last defeating Southwestern Christian on Dec. 30 in Claremore. The Hillcats are hard to beat at home, sustaining a perfect 5-0 record at the Claremore Expo Center this season. When on its homecourt, Rogers has beaten the likes of Nebraska Kearney, Fort Hays State and Northeastern State. Spanning back to last season, RSU has won its last eight games at home, last losing in Claremore on Jan. 7, 2023. The Hillcats are third in the MIAA with 79.5 PPG but give up 78.9 per outing, the second most in the league. Rogers is also 25th in DII with a field goal clip of 49.9%. 

Who to Watch
Rogers has two players within MIAA's top-25 scoring list: senior guard Rodney Battle with 14.6 PPG (15th); and senior forward Isaac Johnson with 13.7 PPG (17th). Scoring 9.8 PPG, sophomore forward Caden Fry is first in the MIAA with a field goal mark of 65.7%. Junior guard Anthony Marshall Jr. is sixth in the MIAA with 19 steals, while senior guard Evan Anderson is 10th with 17. 

Head Coach
In his 14th season at RSU, Justin Barkley holds a record of 256-138, spending his entire head coaching career in Claremore to this point. In his career, he is 3-3 vs. MWSU overall, 2-3 vs. Western in the postseason, 1-1 vs. the Griffs at home and 3-2 vs. Head Coach Will Martin. Barkley was also a part of Northeastern State's National Championship team in 2003.

Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
The all-time series record is the same as Barkley's record vs. MWSU, all knotted up at 3-3 since first playing in 2020. The Griffons won the first three matchups before RSU rattled off the next three. Western is 1-1 in Claremore, winning there on Nov. 19, 2020, and falling last season on Feb. 11, 2023. 

Last Time Out
Box Score
Despite holding a 39-32 halftime lead on Feb. 11 last year, MWSU fell to RSU 71-61 at the Claremore Expo Center. Dixon led MWSU with 13 points, but the Griffons shot 28.6% in the second half after shooting 65.2% in the first. Since then, all three of RSU's top scorers from that game have left the program.

1/6 - SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN STATE | 5:30 PM 
In 14th and last place is Northeastern State (5-6, 0-5 MIAA), a team that is 4-3 at the NSU Event Center in Tahlequah this season. The RiverHawks recently broke a five-game skid with a much-needed victory over Ecclesia on Dec. 30 in Tahlequah. However, NSU has lost both of its two MIAA home games and its last three home contests against DII opponents. The RiverHawks are regarded as one the better-facilitating teams in the MIAA, averaging the second-most assists per game in the MIAA with a slash of 16.91. Northeastern is also third with 186 assists. Northeastern plays No. 19 Northwest Missouri State on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. before playing MWSU on Saturday.

Who to Watch
Sophomore forward Anthony Allen is one of two 'Hawks listed on the MIAA's top-25 sheet, putting up 15 PPG to rank him 11th. Graduate student guard Trey Quartlebaum is 24th in with 12.5 PPG. Allen is also 11th in rebounding with 5.7 RPG, and freshman forward Ethan Blackmon is ninth with 6.3. With a clip of 61.5%, Allen is fourth in the MIAA and 33rd in the nation. With 24 blocks, Allen is third in the MIAA and 19th in the country. His 2.2 BPG rank second in the conference and 16th nationwide. 

Serving as a floor general is Jaxon Jones, whose 5.7 assists per game rank second in the MIAA and 14th in DII. His 63 assists are also second in the conference and 17th in the country. On top of it all, Jones is first in the MIAA and 14th in all of DII with an assist/turnover ratio of 3.3. 

Head Coach
An NSU alum from 1998, Ja Havens is 38-63 after nearly four whole seasons as the program's head honcho. In his 11-year career that includes seven seasons with East Central, Havens is 169-127. He is 1-3 vs. Martin/MWSU and 0-2 when the Griffons visit Tahlequah.

Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
Since first playing in 2003, MWSU leads the series 11-5. Winning the last two overall meetings, Western has won six of the last seven matchups spanning back to 2017. Western is also 4-3 when playing at NSU.  

Last Time We Met
Box Score
Led by another 13-point outing by Dixon, MWSU downed NSU 54-41 on Feb. 9, 2023, at the NSU Event Center. The Griffons held the 'Hawks to 31.9% from the field and just 24% from 3-point range. 

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON MBB HISTORY
Jan. 4 | Box Score
Also playing Rogers on this day in 2020, the Griffons defeated the Hillcats 79-67 in St. Joseph. Western was led by Tyus Millhollin and his game-high 21 points, scoring on 6-of-10 shooting. Tyrell Caroll complemented him with 17 points, and Thames scored 13 off the bench. Rogers, who came in at 11-2, only shot 33.2% overall and 26.3% from deep.

Jan. 6 | Box Score
Thanks to another great night by Caroll and Millhollin, the 2020 Griffons took down NSU 76-71 in an overtime thriller at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Caroll led all scorers with 23 points, while Millhollin made life for defenders difficult with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting for 3-point land. Caroll gave MWSU a definite lead at the 1:46 mark, breaking a 66-66 tie with a triple.