ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Missouri Western women's basketball (9-3, 4-0 MIAA) looks to continue its hot streak with a pair of road games this week - one at Washburn (7-7, 1-3 MIAA) Wednesday and then at Central Missouri (9-6, 1-3 MIAA) on Saturday.

Tip-off in Wednesday's contest is set for 5:30 p.m., while Saturday's game will tip at 3:10 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) with Tommy Rezac on the call. The games will be available to stream with a subscription on the MIAA Network.

About last Saturday
Missouri Western overcame an 11-point deficit late in the first half and defeated No. 3 Fort Hays State, 67-66, on Saturday afternoon at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Marie Sepp's jump shot with 3.9 seconds remaining would end up being the go-ahead.

Both teams got off to fast starts offensively with Hays (12-1, 3-1 MIAA) leading 23-22 at the end of the first quarter. The Tigers then built a 36-25 advantage with 3:18 left before halftime.

Missouri Western called a timeout and regrouped, ending the first half on a 10-0 run to make it a 36-35 game at halftime.

The second half was as competitive as it gets, with Missouri Western taking a 52-50 lead to the final frame. The Griffons led by five on two different occasions in the fourth, but time and again, Fort Hays State had the answer.

The Tigers took a 66-64 lead with 2:59 remaining and they held that lead for awhile, as Missouri Western had a scoring drought of 3:53 in the final minutes.

A free throw by Matilda Soderlund made it a 66-65 game with 28 seconds left. The Griffons then benefited from four consecutive missed free throws by Hays' Olivia Hollenbeck, and the Griffs had their last possession with 15 seconds left.

After a foul on the floor, Laura Toffali inbounded to Sepp, who weaved into the lane and threw the ball up off the glass and through the hole. Hays had one last look with four seconds left, but a pass by Brooke Loewe was stolen by Kassandra Caron as time expired, sealing a victory for MWSU.

The Griffons, now winners of seven straight games, have won their last three battles with Fort Hays State and five of the last seven against the Tigers overall.

Toffali led the way with a season-best 15 points. Alyssa Bonilla did her usual stat packing with 11 points, nine assists, six rebounds and five steals. Caron came off the bench for 11 points, while Jessica Ford had nine points and a team-best seven rebounds.

Missouri Western made 12-of-35 (34.3%) from three and 26-of-62 from the field (41.9%). Hays was 25-of-60 from the floor (41.7%) and 6-of-22 from three (27.3%).

Series Histories
Wednesday will be the 105th all-time meeting with Washburn, with the Ichabods leading the all-time series 57-47. However, Missouri Western has dominated the series more recently, winning the last six contests in a row. All six of those wins have come by a minimum of 13 points.

Saturday marks the 79th meeting with UCM. The Jennies lead this series 43-35, but the Griffons currently own a five-game win streak in this rivalry, most recently winning in Warrensburg last January, 77-69.

Makin' it Rain
Missouri Western has made 121-of-360 three-point attempts (33.6%) so far this season. Their 121 makes are most in the MIAA and tied for 9th most in the nation. The Griffons are averaging 10.1 made threes per game - first in the MIAA and third most in the nation.  Missouri Western also ranks No. 2 in the MIAA with its 33.6% clip from long range.

Missouri Western also leads the MIAA and ranks No. 5 in the nation with their 360 three-point attempts. The Griffs are averaging exactly 30 three-point attempts per game.

Getting to Know the Griffs
Missouri Western hired its 10th head coach in program history this past offseason, naming Ashton Feldhaus to the position on April 15. Feldhaus takes the reins after spending the previous five seasons as the top assistant and associate head coach for NCAA Division II Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Florida.

In those five years, Eckerd won a combined 91 games and made the NCAA tournament in each of those five seasons. They also won the Sunshine State Conference championship this past March.

As for the team itself, Missouri Western returns five players from last year's team that won an MIAA regular season championship for the sixth time in program history and for the first time since 2016.

Bonilla is Ballin'
Alyssa Bonilla is back for her fourth season this year, and has taken on a leading role, averaging 16 points (7th MIAA), 4.7 rebounds, 5.3 assists (2nd MIAA, 16th nation) and 2.6 steals per game (t-1st MIAA) so far.

Familiar Faces
Meredith Rieker, Kelsey Johnson, Kassandra Caron and Jaidyn Schomp make up the rest of the returners. Caron played in 30 games last season, averaging 4.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game. Coming off the bench this year in all nine games, Caron is averaging a solid 8.6 points and 4.8 rebounds per contest.

Schomp has started 11 games thus far, and leads the team with 15 blocked shots. She's also averaging 5.2 points and 4.0 boards per game.

From St. Petersburg to St. Joseph
The Griffons added five transfers this offseason, including four from Division I schools. Jessica Ford transferred in from NCAA Division II Eckerd College, following Ashton Feldhaus to St. Joseph from St. Petersburg, Florida. Originally from Marlborough, England, Ford started 22 games for the Tritons last season, averaging 6.0 points and 4.5 rebounds a game, helping Eckerd to a 20-win season and a Sunshine State Conference tournament championship.

Ford leads MWSU in rebounding so far with 5.8 boards per game. She corralled a career-best 13 rebounds this season against Emporia State on Dec. 7.

Soderlund Shootin'
Matilda Soderlund transferred to Missouri Western from Division I Morehead State, where she played 30 games and made five starts last season. The Stockholm, Sweden native led the Eagles last season with 45 made three-pointers.

As a Griffon, Soderlund is averaging 10.9 points per game, having scored in double-digits six times, including a career-best 24 points against McKendree on Dec. 17.

What's more, Soderlund is one of the sharpest shooters in the MIAA, making 36-of-77 attempts (46.8%) from long range, ranking second in the league and sixth in the nation in three-point percentage. Soderlund is averaging three made triples per game - the most in the MIAA and 10th most in the nation.

Soderlund's 36 made threes on the season is currently the third most in the MIAA and tied for 17th most in the nation.

More D1 Experience
Laura Toffali joins the fold after a two-year stay at Kennesaw State. A Villasanta, Italy native, Toffali played in 38 games for the Owls over the last two years, including four career starts. She scored a total of 114 points over those two years.

Marie Sepp comes over after two seasons at Division I University at Albany. She appeared in 54 total games and scored 38 total points in that time. So far at MWSU, Sepp is averaging 11.8 points per contest, including career-best 21-point performances against McKendree and Nebraska-Kearney.

Malgorzata Byczkowska transferred after one year at Tarleton State. A native of Gdynia, Poland, Byczkowska spent the 2022-23 season at Howard College in Big Springs, Texas, earning WJCAC All-Conference honors. She averaged 13.1 ppg and 5.3 rpg that season as well.

Washburn Wisdom
Washburn enters Wednesday's contest at 7-7 overall and 1-3 in the MIAA, most recently winning at Emporia State Saturday, 64-61.

The Ichabods are led by third-year head coach and Washburn alum Lora Westling. So far, she's 31-40 in her return to Topeka.

Washburn looks to improve off of a 13-16 record last year, which included a 8-14 record in the MIAA. The Bods returned seven letterwinners, but also added seven new players.

Yiibari Nwidadah is a returning starter, and she leads Washburn with 16.7 points per game while shooting a remarkable 70.7% from the field - the fourth best field goal percentage in the country. She also leads the team with 7.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.

Peyton Sterk is Washburn's lead three-point threat. Her 30 made threes ranks as the 6th most of any player in the MIAA.

Central Missouri nuggets
UCM has been a bit up and down out of the gate this year, coming in at 9-6 overall and 1-3 in MIAA play. UCM lost at Emporia State on January 2, 70-66. After a 7-2 start to the year, the Jens are 2-4 in their last six games.

The Jennies are led by former Missouri Western head man Dave Slifer, who's now in his 21st season in the 'Berg. As Griff fans know, Slifer has enjoyed great success at UCM, winning a national title in 2018. He's led his team to 12 NCAA tournament berths, four MIAA tournament titles and two regional championships. He now has 814 career wins - 430 of those with UCM.

UCM returned five players from last year, including a pair of starters in Lauren Frost and Allie Clevenger. They also added six players, including four transfers. One of those transfers is Reese Schaaf - a 5-11 junior guard/forward who came from Division II power Drury University.

Schaaf was the Midwest Region and GLVC Player of the Year last year, and she currently leads the MIAA with 18 ppg and 9.3 rebounds per game.

UCM is coming off of a 21-8 record last year and a 15-7 mark in the MIAA. The Jennies lost to Fort Hays State in MIAA tournament quarterfinals last March and missed the NCAA tournament.