ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — Griffon Men's Basketball looks to shake a close loss at Washburn with another rematch this weekend, this time taking on Emporia State on Saturday in White Auditorium.

TICKETS + WHERE TO WATCH/LISTEN
Griffon MBB (14-6, 8-6 MIAA) will be broadcast on 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.

NOTABLES

• Missouri Western is tied with Central Oklahoma for sixth place in the MIAA standings. Western beat UCO earlier this season.
• Western's 3-point defense is holding teams to 28.4%, the best mark in NCAA Division II.
• The Griffons are 4-5 on the road this season.
• Senior forward JaRon Thames is seventh in the MIAA with 15.1 ppg. 
• Thames is also fourth in the conference in field goals made with 128. His clip of 52.7% ranks 10th.
• Junior Taye Fields is second in the MIAA with 211 boards and 9.6 rpg, ranking him 13th and 18th in each category throughout DII.
• Fields also leads the MIAA with 65 offensive rebounds and 3.0 per game.
• Junior guard Julius Dixon is tied for 14th in the MIAA with 37 threes made. Senior guard Reese Glover is tied for 18th with 36 threes.
• Glover needs six threes to hit 300 for his career, which would make him just the fifth player in MIAA history to do so.
• Fields is sixth in the MIAA with 87 assists. His 4.0 assists per game tie him for sixth as well.
• With 27 blocks, junior forward Kiani Saxon is sixth in the MIAA. Fields is ninth with 23 rejections.
• Fields achieved his fourth consecutive double-double against Nebraska Kearney, his seventh of the season and the 18th of his career.

2/10 - SCOUTING EMPORIA STATE | 3:30 PM
In ninth place in the conference, Emporia State (14-10, 7-9 MIAA) has lost two in a row. The Hornets fell most recently 64-61 against No. 12 Northwest Missouri State in Emporia, Kansas. Ever since MWSU ended ESU's nine-game winning streak back on Dec. 14, 2023, the Hornets have gone 5-8. However, ESU is still 11-3 at home inside White Auditorium, proving it to be one of the more difficult venues to play in throughout the MIAA.

Who to Watch
The Hornets have three players listed on the MIAA's top-10 scoring list: senior guard Alijah Comithier with 17.7 ppg (third); junior guard Solomon Oraegbu with 16.3 ppg (fourth); and senior guard Owen Long with 15.1 ppg (eighth). Long leads the MIAA with a 3-point percentage of 36.5% and is second with 62 threes, which is tied for 24th in DII.

On defense, senior center Darius Yohe is first in the MIAA and second in DII with 71 blocks. Junior guard Kaden Evans is tied for first in the MIAA with 50 steals, which ties him for 11th in the country.

Head Coach
Craig Doty is in his sixth season at Emporia. Last season, Doty led his program to its best season yet with the team going 23-9 and making the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Since 2018, Doty is 92-73 at ESU, 4-7 vs. MWSU, 2-5 vs. Martin and 3-1 when the Griffons come to Emporia.

Rivalry Record Rabbit Hole
The Griffons lead the all-time series 49-35 and have won four straight vs. ESU. From 2001 to 2004, the Griffons held a seven-game winning streak against the Hornets. Currently, Missouri Western has a four-game win streak, dating back to Feb. 2, 2022. Emporia's last win against Western was on Jan. 6, 2022, in White Auditorium. Western is 18-24 when playing in Emporia.

Last Time we Met
Box Score
First meeting this season on Dec 14, 2023, MWSU defeated No. 15 ESU 76-54 at the St. Joseph Civic Arena. Thames led all scorers with a season-high 25 points, while Dixon dropped 19. Fields' 14-point, 12-rebound night helped MWSU outrebound the Hornets 41-25.

ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON MBB
Feb. 10 | Box Score
Playing ESU on this exact day in 2018, the Griffons held on to a 37-23 halftime lead to win 65-61 on the road at White Auditorium. Cole Clearman and Lavon Hightower both led MWSU with13 points, while Trey Brown tallied 12 on 4-of-7 shooting from deep. Bryan Hudson also scored 10 points off the bench, shooting 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. The Griffons dominated ESU on defense, keeping the Hornets to just 37.7% from the field and 21.7% from deep.