ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Men's Basketball (8-2, 2-0 MIAA) has a non-conference test Saturday when they head to Kansas City to face Rockhurst (6-2, 2-1 GLVC).
Tip-off from Mason-Halpin Fieldhouse is set for 2 p.m. The game will be carried live on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) with Voice of the Griffons Tommy Rezac and Hall of Fame coach Tom Smith on the call.
Pregame coverage begins at 1:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on the GLVC Sports Network and available to watch there with a subscription.
MoWest seeks its sixth straight win overall, and its fifth straight win against Rockhurst. This marks the fifth straight season that the Griffs and Hawks will meet on the hardwood.
A Quick Refresh
Griffon Men's Basketball pushed its current win streak to five games with an 84-74 win at Emporia State last Saturday at William L. White Civic Auditorium in Emporia, Kansas.
MoWest was red hot out of the gate, rolling to a 37-18 lead with 5:18 left in the first half. The Hornets started making a push, trailing 43-31 at the break.
For the first 9.5 minutes of the second half, Emporia State controlled the pace, opening the half on a 25-8 run to lead 56-51 with 10:30 still to play.
Following a Brooks McKowen timeout, MoWest found its footing again. Out of the timeout, Ty Henry and Gavin Hershberger hit back-to-back three pointers to immediately cut the deficit to within one.
With the game tied at 72-72 with 2:51 to go, a Noah King triple gave MoWest the lead for good at 75-72. The Griffs ended the game on a 12-2 run over the final 2:51.
King, who has scored 20 points or more in five games this year, cashed in a game-high 24, making 10-of-12 at the free throw line. Trey McKowen came off the bench for a career-high 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting and a 5-of-5 effort at the foul line.
MoWest made a season-best 31 free throws on 40 attempts, thanks to 17 second half fouls committed by the Hornets.
Hershberger scored 10 of his 11 points in the second half, while Henry added 12 points and William Kiburis ended with 10 points and six boards. Marko Pavlovic had a team-leading nine rebounds, including five offensive boards.
MoWest won the turnover battle 17-8, and outgained ESU in points off turnovers, 19-4.
Sharp Shooters
MoWest has made 87 three-pointers on the young season, ranking second in the MIAA and 14th in the nation in that category.
Takin' Care of (Basketball) Business
The Griffs' 1.40 assist-to-turnover ratio is currently third best in the league. Their turnover margin of +4.50 is also third best in the MIAA.
In fact, MoWest ranks No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 8 in NCAA Division II with only 9.8 giveaways per game.
Individual Standouts
Noah King has been a scoring machine thus far, averaging 18.4 points per game (5th MIAA). King has scored at least 20 points in five different games this season, including a career-best 31 in a 90-72 win over Arkansas Tech on November 28.
William Kiburis has been a sharp shooter this season, making 56.7% of his shots from the field (6th MIAA), going 38-of-67. Meanwhile, Ty Henry has been the go-to on the free throw line, sinking 28-of-32 attempts (87.5%), putting him fourth best in the MIAA.
Freshman starting forward Marko Pavlovic has impressed out of the gate, ranking third in the MIAA in rebounds per game (7.4) and fourth in blocked shots (10).
Opponent at a Glance
Rockhurst has had a strong start to 2025-26, with their only losses so far at No. 2 Washburn (85-81) and at McKendree in 2 OT (95-85).
The Hawks are 2-0 at home this season and own a 94-86 win at MIAA member Missouri Southern.
Rockhurst is the No. 1 scoring offense in the GLVC so far with 86.8 points per game. Their turnover margin of +4 ranks second in the GLVC.
Guard Jaylen Wesley is the lead scoring threat with a phenomenal 20.6 points per game (No. 2 GLVC, No. 29 nation). Fellow guard Drenin Dinkins is up there as well with 18.9 points per outing (No. 5 GLVC).
Rockhurst is under the direction of second-year head coach Kyle Blackbourn, who led the Hawks to a 17-12 mark last season. The Hawks brought nine players back from that squad, and were picked to finish fourth in the GLVC Preseason Coaches' Poll.
Series History
Saturday marks the 69th all-time meeting with Rockhurst. MoWest leads the all-time series 35-33, and has taken each of the last four games in the series.
Brooks McKowen faced Rockhurst twice while coaching at Upper Iowa, and went 2-0 against the Hawks with wins in 2024 and 2025 – both by double digits.
