ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Women's Basketball (4-7, 0-2 MIAA) resumes its 2025-26 season in the New Year with a pair of MIAA games out west.
 
MoWest first faces Nebraska-Kearney (7-6, 0-2 MIAA) on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. before battling No. 6 Fort Hays State (10-1, 1-1 MIAA) on Saturday at 4 p.m.
 
Both games will be carried live on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) with Voice of the Griffons Tommy Rezac calling the action. Pregame coverage will start 15 minutes before tip-off.
 
The games will also be available to watch on the MIAA Network with a subscription.
 
Where Were We?
Griffon Women's Basketball built a 14-point second half lead and held on for a 76-69 win over McKendree on Saturday, Dec. 20 at MWSU Fieldhouse in the final non-conference game of the season.
 
Nakiya Harris ended up with her third double-double of the season, scoring all 13 of her points in the second half to go with a team-best 10 rebounds.
 
Mia Morel had a team-best 17 points to go with five assists and four rebounds. Ana Oliveira Dias had 15 points and a game-high seven assists. LaNicia Parker came off the bench for 13 points, shooting 3-of-6 from downtown.
 
MoWest shot 27-of-66 (40.9%) from the field, including 12-of-33 (36.4%) from three. The Griffons doled out 18 assists, and scored 23 points off of 16 McKendree turnovers.
 
Schedule Strength
MoWest's strength of schedule is ranked as the 14th toughest in NCAA Division II, per the Massey Ratings, with four of its first six opponents being ranked 13th or higher.
 
As of now, MoWest has three games left against ranked opponents - two games with No. 6 Fort Hays State and one at No. 13 Pittsburg State.
 
MoWest will have faced six total teams this season that made the NCAA tournament in 2024-25, and five teams that finished last season ranked 13th or higher in the WBCA Coaches' Poll.
 
Staying Sharp from Long Range
MoWest continues to be a consistent threat from beyond the arc, ranking No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 7 in NCAA Division II with 106 made threes for an average of 9.6 makes per game (No. 1 MIAA, No. 5 nation). The Griffs have sunk 35.7% of their attempts from deep (No. 3 MIAA, No. 21 nation).
 
Lindsey Kelderman ranks No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 7 in NCAA Division II in three-point percentage (47.9%), knocking down 23-of-48 thus far. Her 23 made three-pointers is tied for fifth most in the MIAA as well.
 
Harris a Big Help
First-year Griffon and Wabash Valley College transfer Nakiya Harris has been a key addition to the MoWest lineup this season, ranking No. 5 in the MIAA with 8.1 rebounds per game. Her three double-doubles is tied for most in the MIAA as well.
 
Other Nuggets
MoWest currently ranks No. 3 in the MIAA with 9.55 steals per game (105 total). Ana Oliveira Dias is up to No. 4 in the MIAA with 23 steals of her own. Her average of 2.3 steals per game is No. 2 in the MIAA.
 
Meanwhile, Mia Morel is up to No. 3 in the MIAA in assists per game (3.8) and No. 3 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.8).

Opponents at a Glance
Nebraska-Kearney (7-6, 0-2 MIAA) has had an up-and-down start to the season, but the Lopers are 5-1 at home and have won three games in a row entering the week.
 
Like MoWest, UNK is capable of hitting three-pointers, ranking No. 3 in the MIAA in total made threes (92), No. 4 in three-point percentage (32.7%) and No. 5 in made threes per game (7.1).

Ironically, former Griffon and current Loper, Malgorzata "Gosia" Byczkowska, leads the MIAA with 31 made three-pointers (t-17th nation), ranking No. 4 in the MIAA in three-point percentage (36%).
 
Byczkowska, recruited by previous head coach Ashton Feldhaus, played 29 games for MoWest last season, making five starts. She scored 65 total points, knocking down 17 three-pointers for the Griffs last year.
 
Elsewhere, Myleigh Weers is UNK's leading scorer with 15.8 points per game (No. 3 MIAA).
 
Defensively, UNK leads the MIAA with 20.1 takeaways per game. The Lopers lead the league in steals per game (11.3) and total steals (147). Their 147 steals is the 13th most of all teams in NCAA Division II. Saniya Simmons leads the MIAA with 2.5 steals per game.
 
Series History
Thursday marks the 56th all-time meeting with UNK. The Griffons hold a 31-24 advantage in this series, but UNK has won the last six in a row against the Griffons when playing in Kearney. MoWest hasn't won at Kearney since Feb. 26, 2018.
 
No. 6 Fort Hays State (10-1, 1-1 MIAA) continues to be a perennial force in the MIAA, riding a three-game winning streak entering the New Year, which includes an 88-70 drubbing of then No. 6 Pittsburg State on December 13.
 
With a 3-0 home record, Hays opened its season with an 84-78 win over then No. 11 Concordia-St. Paul at St. Joseph Civic Arena in the Central Region Showcase back in November.
 
FHSU ranks No. 2 in the MIAA and No. 14 in NCAA Division II in scoring offense (79.1). The Tigers have outscored their opposition this year by an average of 16 points (No. 1 MIAA, No. 25 nation). The Tigers shoot 48.8% from the field (No. 1 MIAA, No. 4 nation) and 37.3% from three (No. 1 MIAA, No. 9 nation) with a 1.25 assist-to-turnover ratio (No. 1 MIAA, No. 4 nation).
 
Junior Talexa Weeter has emerged as one of the best guards in the nation, leading the MIAA and NCAA D2 with 27.5 points per game. She's also No. 2 in the MIAA with 8.6 rebounds per contest.

Another supreme guard talent FHSU boasts is senior Brooke Loewe, who averages an MIAA and NCAA D2-leading 10.4 assists per game.
 
Series History
Saturday marks the 65th all-time meeting with Fort Hays State. Hays leads the all-time series 36-28 with MoWest claiming five of the last seven meetings since January 2023.
 
MoWest has swept FHSU in the regular season each of the last two years, but Hays knocked MWSU out of the MIAA tournament in semifinals in both 2023 and again in 2025.