ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Missouri Western men's basketball team (1-1) will open home competition this weekend against Northern State (S.D.) and Augustana (S.D.) at the 2024 Hillyard Tipoff Classic from the MWSU Fieldhouse.
Action against the Wolves will begin at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, followed by the final match of the weekend against the Vikings on Sunday at 4:00 p.m.
Pregame coverage with Tommy Rezac will begin at 1:30 p.m. Friday and at 3:30 p.m. Sunday on The Varsity Network app and at
GoGriffons.com/listen.
HOME OPENER AT THE HILLYARD TIPOFF CLASSIC
The Griffons will play on Tom Smith Court for the first time this season against two regional teams from South Dakota representing the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC). Both schools will open their seasons this weekend in St. Joseph.
Missouri Western and Northern State have faced each other three times, with NSU holding a 2-1 advantage in their all-time matchups. Last season, the Griffons secured their first victory in the series, winning 75-72 against the 21st-ranked Wolves.
JaRon Thames led the team with 18 points, while
Julius Dixon contributed 15 points and
Josh Book added 12 points, all finishing in double figures.
Western and Augustana are set to meet for the third time this Sunday. The Griffons have won the previous two matchups against the Vikings, including a 76-72 victory last season at the MWSU Fieldhouse. In that game, Thames recorded a double-double, scoring 18 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, while
Taye Fields also made a notable contribution with 15 points and 8 rebounds.
COMPLETE LIST OF GAMES
Friday, November 8
10:00 a.m. - Wayne State vs. Emporia State
12:00 p.m. - Augustana vs. Northwest Missouri State
2:00 p.m. - Northern State vs. Missouri Western
Sunday, November 10
12:00 p.m. - Emporia State vs. Northern State
2:00 p.m. - Northwest Missouri State vs. Wayne State
4:00 p.m. - Missouri Western vs. Augustana
RECAPPING OPENING WEEKEND
Missouri Western men's basketball started the season with a 1-1 record at the D2CCA Tipoff Classic, hosted by West Texas A&M in Canyon, Texas.
Last Friday, Missouri Western faced a challenging defeat against Lubbock Christian (Texas), with a final score of 88-48.
Zane Nelson made a strong debut for the Griffons, leading the team in scoring with 14 points and contributing two steals.
Devin Butler, another newcomer, added nine points with an impressive 3-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
Justin Bubak contributed eight points, four rebounds and two blocked shots, while
Julius Dixon led the team in rebounding with a total of six.
MWSU bounced back on Sunday with an 80-73 victory over the St. Cloud State Huskies. They shot 44% from the field, including 40% from three-point range.
Zion Swader led the scoring with 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting and contributed three assists. Nelson added 16 points, while
Kiani Saxon and Bubak each scored 12, making it a strong offensive performance with four players in double figures. Defensively, MWSU dominated the boards, outrebounding St. Cloud State 38-26.
Kidtrell Blocker and Swader both recorded a team-high seven rebounds for the game.
In his inaugural weekend as a Griffon, Nelson earned his first accolade of the season by being selected for the D2CCA Tipoff Classic All-Tournament Team. Over the weekend, he amassed a total of 30 points, highlighted by 16 points in the victory over the Huskies on Sunday. He finished with a shooting percentage of 47.4%, hitting nine of his 19 field goal attempts, and was particularly effective at the free-throw line, converting 8-of-9 attempts, equating to 89.9%. In addition to his scoring prowess, he also collected six rebounds, provided five assists, and made three steals.
