ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — The new year brings a chance for Griffon Women's Basketball to notch their longest winning streak of the season when they hit the road to take on Rogers State and Northeastern State this Thursday and Saturday in Oklahoma.

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Griffon WBB (9-3, 4-2 MIAA) will once again 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. The pregame show starts 30 minutes prior to tipoff. Game admission can be found in the "Tickets" tab.

NOTABLES

• Missouri Western is on its first four-game winning streak since starting the season 4-0. It's tied for the second-longest active winning streak in the conference.
• The Griffons broke nine program records and six MIAA records in a 147-16 win over Kansas Christian College on Dec. 30.
• Western is fifth in the MIAA standings. 
• MWSU is second in the MIAA and 12th in NCAA Division II With 78.8 points per game. Its scoring defense ranks fourth with 59.7 points given up per game.
• Western's average margin of victory of 19.2 points in second in the conference.
• With 782 field goal attempts, the most in the MIAA and seventh-most in DII, MWSU is shooting 45% from the field, good for second in the conference and 24th in the country.
• The Griffs are tied for first in the conference and are 11th in the country with 101 threes made this season. Western is first in the MIAA and 14th in DII with 8.4 treys made per game.
• Opponents are shooting a league-low 64.7% from the free-throw line when playing MWSU.
• MWSU has the third-most rebounds in the MIAA with 488.
• With 28 defensive and 12.7 offensive rebounds per game, MWSU is fourth in the MIAA in both categories. Western has the third-most defensive boards with 336.
• Western only turns the ball over on average 12.7 times per game, good for second in the conference.
• With 216 turnovers forced, MWSU is third in the MIAA.
• Western's turnover margin of 5.33 stands alone on top of the conference and is 33rd in DII.
• With an assist/turnover ratio of 1.31, MWSU is first in the MIAA and tied for fourth in DII.
• Senior forward Connie Clarke is ninth in the MIAA with 7.3 rebounds per game and 16th with 11.9 points per game.
• Clarke is also tied for second with 30 steals.
• Junior guard Alyssa Bonilla leads the team with 32 assists, which is 12th in the MIAA.
• Freshman forward Tiani Ellison leads the team with 10 blocks, tying her for ninth place within the league. She had a career-high three rejections on Dec. 14 vs. Emporia State.
• Junior guard Mackenzie Hart is tied for 14th in the MIAA with 18 made threes. Senior guard Brionna Budgetts is tied for 15th with 17, and junior guard Jayme Jackson is tied for 16th with 15.

1/4 - SCOUTING ROGERS STATE | 5:30 PM
Currently 10th in the MIAA, Rogers (6-5, 1-4 MIAA) has won two games in a row. The Hillcats are 6-3 at the Claremore Expo Center this season, defeating Northeastern State there on Dec. 13 and then beating Randall on Dec. 18. Playing its first game since then, RSU has the third-best scoring defense in the conference, giving up just 55.1 PPG, placing the Hillcats 17th nationally. The Hillcat defense is also holding teams to 32.4% shooting from the field, the best mark in the MIAA and the fourth-lowest in DII.

Who to Watch
Tied for seventh in the MIAA, senior forward Alayzha Knapp scores 15.8 PPG. Rogers has three Hillcats ranking in the MIAA's top-25 rebounders: senior forward Trinity Jackson with 6.6 rebounds per game (15h); Knapp with 6.4 (16th); and sophomore guard Kaya Goldsby with 5.0 (25th). Goldsby is also first in the MIAA with an assist/turnover ratio of 2.4, and her 49 assists and 4.2 per game rank fifth in the conference. She also leads the MIAA with 2.7 steals per game, with her 30 steals tied for second alongside Clarke. Jackson is a defensive juggernaut with 12 blocks this season, the sixth-most in the league. Knapp is right behind her with 11 rejections. 

Head Coach
Heather Davis is in first year as head coach for Rogers State. A Central Oklahoma graduate from 2012, she is the fifth head coach in RSU WBB history after serving as an assistant coach at Southwestern Oklahoma State last season. She also spent eight years on staff at UCO from 2014-2022. She played college ball at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (2008-10) and UCO (2010-12). As an assistant with UCO, her Bronchos went 5-8 when playing MWSU.

Record Rivalry Rabbit Hole
Since RSU joined the MIAA in 2019, Western is 5-0 vs. the Hillcats, going 2-0 when playing in Claremore, Oklahoma. 

Last Time We Met
Box Score
Holding a slim 30-26 edge of RSU at halftime last time out on Feb. 11, 2023, MWSU went on to win 68-53 in Claremore thanks to a big night by Budgetts. Scoring a game-high 23 points, Budgetts shot 4-of-10 from deep and was 9-of-19 from the field, producing five steals in the process. Clarke tagged in for 15 points and six rebounds, helping the defense hold RSU to just 30.2% from the field and 21.7% from 3-point range.

1/6 - SCOUTING NORTHEASTERN STATE | 1:30 PM
Currently 12th in the MIAA, Northeastern (5-6, 1-4 MIAA) is coming off a 102-26 win at home over Ecclesia, snapping a three-game losing streak. When playing at the NSU Event Center in Tahlequah this season, the RiverHawks are 5-2 and haven't lost at home since Nov. 30 in a 63-52 defeat against No. 22 Fort Hays State. Shooting 35.1% on 71-of-202 attempts from three, NSU is third in the MIAA.

Who to Watch
Fifth-year guard Hallie Jones is enemy No. 1 for opposing defenses, sitting in ninth place with 14.6 PPG. Behind her in 20th place is junior forward Courtney Lee and her 11.1 PPG. Lee is also 20th in the conference with 5.7 RPG. Western will need to watch out for Jones when she fires away from deep, posting a mark of 48.2%, which is second in the conference. Her 27 treys made and 2.5 per game also rank second.

Head Coach
In his first season at NSU, Keith Ferguson is 125-95 in his eight-year career. He went 120-89 with Bethany from 2016-23. He is the eighth coach in NSU WBB history. 

Record Rivalry Rabbit Hole
Since first playing in 2005, MWSU is 11-6 vs. NSU. The Griffons have won the last three total matchups and haven't lost in this series since Nov. 21, 2020. The Griffs are playing well as of late when playing by the river, posting a 4-4 record when playing on NSU's home court and winning four of the last five Tahlequah meetings.

Last Time We Met
Box Score
The Griffons took care of business back on Jan. 9, 2023, with a 68-58 victory at the NSU Event Center. Western improved to 21-5 thanks to a 14-point night by Budgetts, 13 points by Johnni Gonzalez and 10 by Clarke. 

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON WBB HISTORY
Jan. 4 | Box Score
Winning their fifth straight back in 2020, the Griffons defeated Rogers 76-61 at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Western led RSU 45-20 at the half, benefitting from a strong performance by Corbyn Cunningham and her team-high 20 points. The Griffs held RSU to 37.8% from the floor and 24% from downtown. Meanwhile, MWSU dished 18 assists and shot 45.6% overall.

Jan. 6 | Box Score
Following up on a big game vs. RSU, the 2020 Griffs kept the winning streak going strong with an 86-63 triumph over Northeastern at the Fieldhouse. Holding NSU to just seven points in the first quarter as they did against RSU two days prior, MWSU forced 22 turnovers and came away with 13 steals. Chris Wilson led all Griffons with 16 points, and Kylee Williams chipped in with 13.