ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Women's Basketball (0-2) continues non-conference play at St. Joseph CIvic Arena, partaking in the DII Women's Basketball Central Region Showcase for a second year in a row.
The Griffons first take on Minnesota State-Moorhead on Friday at 7 p.m. and then No. 11 Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday at 6 p.m.
The games will be broadcast live on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen). Voice of the Griffons
Tommy Rezac will be on the call Friday, with Kyle Schmidt filling in Saturday. The games will also be available to watch on the MIAA Network with a subscription.
Rezac and Schmidt will be accompanied on the broadcasts by former Griffon women's basketball coach Rob Edmisson.
Where Were We?
MoWest tipped off its season on Halloween weekend in the D2CCA Tip-off Classic at Civic Arena, falling to No. 1 Grand Valley State 83-61 and again to No. 13 Lubbock Christian 82-75.
Nakiya Harris has emerged as the early scoring and rebounding leader, averaging 14 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.
Lindsey Kelderman shot a solid 5-of-9 from three in the opening weekend.
As a team, MoWest shot 45.2% (47-of-104) from the field, 34.8% from three (16-of-46) and 81.3% at the free throw line (26-of-32) through the first two games.
Scheidecker's Story
MoWest has its third different head coach in as many seasons with
Luke Scheidecker becoming the 11th head coach in program history this past March.
Scheidecker brings with him eight years of head coaching experience, including seven at Wabash Valley College from 2016-18 and again from 2020-25. He's amassed a remarkable career record of 231-22 (.913), including six Great River Athletic Conference Championships.
Scheidecker looks to bring his winning pedigree at the two-year college level to a MoWest program that's enjoyed 20 wins or more in five of the last six seasons, and NCAA tournament bids in three of the last four.
Scheidecker takes the baton with an entirely new roster. Senior
Meredith Rieker is the lone returner, while 11 new players have joined the team, including three junior college transfers and six players from NCAA institutions - two from NCAA Division I.
The Griffons added seven guards and four forwards, signing four juniors, five seniors and two freshmen.
A Quick Refresh
MoWest finished the 2024-25 season with a 20-10 record overall and a 14-5 mark in the MIAA. The Griffons were selected as the No. 4 seed in the NCAA Central Region Tournament.
MoWest shattered the program record for most three-pointers in a single season in 2024-25, knocking down 300-of-949 attempts. The 300 makes shattered the previous record of 245 set in 2006-07.
The 949 attempts are also a new school record, overwhelming the previous record of 695 attempts in 2023-24.
The Griffons graduated two seniors from last year's team of 10 players. Five players from that team transferred to other schools, while two medically retired.
Scouting the Schedule
MoWest will face six teams this season that made the NCAA tournament last season, and five teams that finished 2024-25 ranked in the top 13 in the final WBCA Coaches' Poll.
Recent Success
Since the start of the 2019-20 season, MoWest has won 120 games, including 13 wins over ranked opponents in that time. Seven of those 13 wins came over teams ranked in the top 10.
MoWest won an NCAA Central Region Championship in 2022 and an MIAA regular season title in 2024, qualifying for the NCAA tournament three of the last four seasons.
Historically, Griffon Women's Basketball has reached the NCAA tournament 15 times - all since 1994. MoWest is 13-14 all-time in the Big Dance with three Regional Championships and a Final Four appearance in 1995.
Opponents at a Glance
Minnesota State-Moorhead is the preseason favorite to win the North Division of the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference. The Dragons return four starters from last year's team that went 14-16 overall and 11-11 in conference play.
Senior forward/center Terryn Johnson was named the MSU-Moorhead preseason 'Player to Watch' by the NSIC after picking up second team all-conference honors in 2024-25. She averaged 10.8 points and 8.6 rebounds per game while shooting 56% from the field.
The Dragons added two transfers and five freshmen to the roster as well.
MoWest beat MSU-Moorhead on the road last November, 68-57, in the first and only previous meeting between the two Central Region foes.
Concordia-St. Paul was with MoWest in the NCAA Central Region tournament field this past March. The Golden Bears went 29-3 last season, winning the NSIC tournament championship before falling to NSIC rival Southwest Minnesota State in the first round of the NCAA tournament, 77-64.
Preseason ranked No. 11, CSP was picked to finish second in the NSIC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Senior guard Lydia Haack was picked as CSP's preseason 'Player to Watch.' She was a first team all-NSIC pick last season, averaging 16.8 points and 4.5 assists per game.
CSP exhibitioned against NCAA DIII member St. Catherine on Oct. 30, and will officially tip off against No. 9 Fort Hays State on Friday, November 14 at 5 p.m. at Civic Arena.
Saturday marks the fourth all-time meeting between MoWest and CSP. The Golden Bears lead the series 2-1, most recently besting the Griffons 77-60 in St. Paul on November 20, 2024.
