ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Men's Basketball (7-2, 1-0 MIAA) continues MIAA conference play with a road trip to Emporia State (2-5, 0-1 MIAA) on Saturday afternoon.
Tip-off from William L. White Auditorium in downtown Emporia, Kansas is set for 3:30 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 on the call.
The game is also available to watch on the MIAA Network with a subscription. MoWest seeks its fifth straight win overall, while Emporia looks to rebound after a 77-70 loss at Northwest Missouri State on Thursday night in their MIAA opener. The Hornets have lost three straight with four of their five losses this year coming by seven points or less.
A Quick Refresh
Griffon Men's Basketball opened MIAA play with a statement win on Tuesday night, powering past rival Northwest Missouri State, 99-77, at the MWSU Fieldhouse.
In the second half, the Griffons took control and never looked back. The Griffons have now scored over 90 points in back-to-back games and have extended their win streak to four games. MoWest has also taken three straight from the Bearcats for the first time since 1998-99.
Noah King led the way with 25 points on 9-for-19 shooting while adding seven rebounds and four assists in a strong all-around performance.
Ty Henry followed with 23 points on an efficient 8-for-10 from the field, contributing three rebounds and one assist.
The Griffons turned in an efficient shooting performance, finishing at 58.6 percent from the field on 34-of-58 attempts. They were equally solid from long range, connecting on 50 percent at 10-of-20.
Statistics Worth Noting
MoWest has made 78 three-pointers on the young season, ranking second in the MIAA and seventh in the nation in that category. Gavin Hershberger leads the way with 17 made triples (t-5th MIAA).
The Griffs' 1.42 assist-to-turnover ratio is currently third best in the league.
Noah King has been a scoring machine thus far, averaging 17.8 points per game (6th MIAA). King has scored at least 20 points in four 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 60% of his shots from the field (5th MIAA), going 36-of-60. Meanwhile, Ty Henry has been the go-to on the free throw line, sinking 24-of-28 attempts (85.7%), putting him fifth best in the MIAA.
Freshman starting forward Marko Pavlovic has impressed out of the gate, ranking fourth in the MIAA in rebounds per game (7.2) and second in blocked shots (10).
Opponent at a Glance
Emporia State begins its second year with head coach Tom Billeter at the helm. The Hornets are off to a 2-5 start this season with wins over St. Cloud State and Lincoln (MO). The Hornets have been competitive throughout games, with four of their five losses coming by seven points or fewer.
ESU is a somewhat young team this season with six freshmen and three sophomores. Four transfers were added to the roster as well. Junior and Santa Rose JC transfer Andrew Pengel has impressed early with a team-best 15 points per game. Sophomore and second-year Hornet Chris Harris is off to a strong start with 11.8 points per outing and a team-leading 5.2 rebounds per game.
Saturday will be the 88th all-time meeting with ESU. The Griffons lead the series 49-38, but the Hornets have taken each of the last three meetings. Since 2021, the series is split even at 5-5.
