ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Now tied for second place in the MIAA, Griffon Women's Basketball takes to the road this Wednesday to take on Lincoln in Jefferson City, Missouri.

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Griffon WBB (13-4, 8-3 MIAA) will once again hit the airwaves of KFEQ Radio, as fans can tune in with "The Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac 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.

MACRO MIAA NUMBERS
The Griffons currently lead the MIAA in the following categories:

• Points per game: 78.2 (10th in NCAA Division II)
• Average scoring margin: +20.9 (sixth in DII)
• Threes made: 144 (14th in DII)
• Threes made per game: 8.5 (16th in DII)
• Assists: 292 (14th in DII)
• Assists per game: 17.2 (15th in DII)
• Assist/turnover ratio: 1.29 (fourth in DII)
• Turnover margin: +5.94 (17th in DII)
• Steals per game: 11.71 (28th in DII)

NOTABLES

• Missouri Western is in a three-team tie for second place in the MIAA standings.
• With 1,094 field goal attempts, the second-most in the MIAA and 10th-most in DII, MWSU is shooting 45.1% from the field, good for third in the conference and 21st in the country.
• Opponents are shooting a league-low 64.6% from the free-throw line when playing MWSU.
• MWSU is fifth in the conference with 40.3 rebounds per game.
• With 28.4 defensive rebounds per game, MWSU is third in the MIAA. Western is fifth with 11.9 offensive rpg.
• Western only turns the ball over on average 13.4 times per game, good for second in the conference.
• With 328 turnovers forced, MWSU is second in the MIAA. The Griffs are first with 19.3 forced turnovers per game.
• Senior forward Connie Clarke is eighth in the MIAA with 7.3 rebounds per game and 15th with 12 ppg.
• Clarke leads the MIAA with 44 steals and 2.5 spg. Her 44 steals tie her for 33rd in the country.
• Clarke also leads the team with 14 blocks, tying her for 10th within the league.
• Thanks to her 45 assists, Clarke is tied for 15th in the MIAA. Her 2.6 apg tie her for 16th.
• Senior guard Brionna Budgetts is tied for seventh in the MIAA with 31 made threes.  Junior guards Jayme Jackson and Mackenzie Hart are tied for 13th with 22 made threes.

1/24 - SCOUTING LINCOLN | 5:30 PM
Currently 13th in the conference, Lincoln (6-11, 2-9 MIAA) is on a two-game skid and is 3-4 when home at Jason Gym. The Blue Tigers are coming off a 67-54 road loss against Northeastern State on Jan. 20. Lincoln won its last home game back on Jan. 13, defeating Washburn 77-64. The Blue Tigers have yet to win back-to-back home games this season.

Yielding a shooting defense of 43.4% and a 3-point shooting defense of 36.2%, Lincoln is last in the MIAA in both categories. Lincoln's rebounding margin of -6.4 also ranks last in the league.

Who to Watch
Scoring-wise, sophomore guard Ashlyn Alloway (15.4 ppg) and senior guard Steph Torres (11.6 ppg) are seventh and 18th in the MIAA, respectively. Alloway is also seventh with 7.5 rpg. Her clip of 52.3% from the field ranks second in the MIAA, and her 102 made field goals rank third. Alloway is seventh in the MIAA with 18 blocks as well.

Torres is tied for eighth in the conference with 29 makes from downtown, and she is 13th with 47 assists. With 34 assists, senior guard AJ Bradley is tied for sixth in the conference.

Head Coach
Drea Mize is in her fourth season leading Lincoln, coming in with a career record of 20-75. Since 2020, she is 0-5 vs. MWSU and Head Coach Candi Whitaker and 0-2 when the Griffons come to town.

Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
Since first playing in 1980, Western is 42-7 vs. Lincoln and 17-5 when playing the Blue Tigers in Jefferson City. The Griffons have won the last nine outings dating back to Feb. 22, 2018, the same day as Western's last road loss in this series. With nine consecutive wins, this is Western's longest streak against Lincoln since winning 20 straight from 1987-2003. Wednesday's meeting will be the 50th all-time meeting.

Last Time We Met
Box Score
Last meeting on Feb. 19, 2023, three Griffons scored in double figures in Western's 65-54 victory at the MWSU Fieldhouse, earning its ninth straight victory that season. Budgetts led the bunch with a game-high 18 points, while Clarke and Johnni Gonzalez chipped in with 13 and 11, respectively. The Griffons forced 21 Lincoln turnovers while shooting 48.9% from the field and 47.4% from deep.

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON WBB HISTORY
Jan. 24 | Box Score | Video Recap
After being tied 56-56 with 2:01 left to go in 2015, the Griffons held Missouri Southern scoreless the rest of the way en route to a 61-56 win at the MWSU Fieldhouse. LaQuinta Jefferson gave the Griffs the lead for good with a free throw at the 2:01 mark, notching her final point to lead the team with 17. Chelsea Dewey played all 40 minutes and scored 11 points, while Tiara Hall came up with big with 10 off the bench. Southern was held to 33.3% from the field and 5.9% from 3-point range.