ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Missouri Western men's basketball (16-10, 7-8 MIAA) is back on the road this week to take on Arkansas-Fort Smith (10-14, 4-11 MIAA) Thursday at 7:30 p.m. and then Northeastern State (14-10, 8-7 MIAA) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

Both contests will be broadcast live on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) with Tommy Rezac on the call. They'll also be streamed on the MIAA Network via a subscription.
 
Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen)
Live broadcasts of Missouri Western athletics are available on The Varsity Network app. All home and away football games, along with all home and away men's and women's basketball games, are available to listen to for FREE on the Varsity Network App and at GoGriffons.com/listen.

Available on iPhone and Android, fans can access free audio streams for game days on the Varsity Network App. Fans can also receive push notifications as reminders for upcoming games and broadcasts.
 
Once you download The Varsity Network app, search 'Missouri Western' and select which Griffon teams you want to follow. For more information on The Varsity Network and how to listen live to the Griffons, click here. Audio broadcasts can also be found at GoGriffons.com/listen. Audio broadcasts will also be archived at GoGriffons.com/listen and on the Varsity Network App in the 'On Demand' section.

Last Time Out
Senior Julius Dixon reached the 1000-point milestone in the Griffons' (16-10, 7-8 MIAA) 79-67 bounce back victory over Missouri Southern on Saturday at the MWSU Fieldhouse. With the win, MWSU snapped a three-game losing skid.
 
The first half of the game was closely contested, showcasing four ties and three changes in the lead. Dixon topped both teams with 15 points on 6-of-11 shooting and collected his 1000th point with a made three at the 14:43 mark. Despite his strong performance, Missouri Southern (11-13, 6-9 MIAA) carried a 35-32 advantage into intermission.
 
In the opening minute of the second half, senior Zane Nelson sparked an 11-2 run with an 'and-one' to tie the game and shift momentum.
 
As a team, Missouri Western shot 26-for-53 (49%) from the field, including 9-for-19 (47%) from three-point range. They also won the rebounding battle 34-26 and converted on 18-of-21 (86%) free throw attempts.
 
Four Griffons scored in double figures against the Lions. Nelson led the team with an 18-point, 10-assist double-double. Dixon contributed 17 points and narrowly missed a double-double, finishing just one rebound shy with nine. In addition, senior Zion Swader added 14 points and senior Ethan Kilgore added 12 points.

Series Histories
Thursday will be just the second meeting with Arkansas Fort-Smith. The Lions beat the Griffons in the only previous meeting in November 2017, 73-58, in Fort Smith.

Saturday is the 19th meeting against NSU, and the Griffons hold a 12-6 advantage here. MWSU has won seven of the last nine meetings, though these two have split each of the last four.

New 1,000 point club member
Senior Julius Dixon has become the 20th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points and the fifth to do so since coach Will Martin came on staff in 2018. Dixon has scored 1,012 points in 86 total games for Missouri Western – 85 of those being starts.

Dixon scored 136 total points in two seasons at Division I Morehead State, giving him 1,148 points in his entire collegiate career currently.

Free Throw Leaders
Missouri Western currently leads the MIAA in free throw percentage, making 348-of-456 (76.3%) at the charity stripe this season. That ranks 33^rd in the nation amongst all NCAA Division II teams.

Keepin' Em Off the Glass 
Missouri Western ranks No. 2 in the MIAA and No. 6 in the nation in opponent rebounds allowed per game. The Griffons are allowing just 29.9 rebounds per game by their opponents this season.
 
Individual Leaders
Senior Zane Nelson has made a substantial impact for the Griffons this season. The Arkansas-Monticello transfer and last season's Great American Conference Newcomer of the Year leads the team with 14.2 points per game and ranks No. 4 in the MIAA with 4.5 assists per contest.
 
Zion Swader has had a successful senior season, averaging 12.1 points per game. Defensively, he has recorded a team-best 40 steals."

Julius Dixon has been a rebounding machine, ranking No. 6 in the MIAA with 6.3 rebounds per contest. Meanwhile, senior Kiani Saxon has caused havoc at the rim with 29 blocks (3^rd MIAA).
 
Tracking Arkansas Fort-Smith
Arkansas Fort-Smith made waves as a first-year member of the MIAA last week when they handed then No. 1 Washburn its first loss of the season last Thursday with a 87-80 overtime victory at the Stubblefield Center.

The Lions couldn't follow it up, though as they lost at home to UCM last Saturday, 67-63. UAFS has scored other MIAA wins against Nebraska-Kearney, Central Oklahoma and Missouri Southern.

Terrell Williams Jr is the Lions' leading scorer with 12.3 points per contest. He's up to 998 points in his UAFS career. Roland McCoy is one of the best three-point shooters in the MIAA, shooting 41.1% from long range – the fourth best percentage in the league.
 
Northeastern Notables
Arkansas Fort-Smith wasn't the only team to get a win over the No. 1 team in the nation last week.
Northeastern State also took a bite out of Washburn with an 88-84 win against the Ichabods at the NSU Event Center this past Saturday. That win also snapped what was a three-game losing streak for NSU – a team that boasts a home record of 9-3.

The Riverhawks are putting up 79.6 points per game – third most in the MIAA. They're doing it behind a field goal percentage of 49.7% - the second best in the league and the 15^th best in the country.
NSU also ranks No. 2 in the MIAA and No. 18 in the nation in three-point percentage at 38.5%. The Riverhawks also happen to be strong free throw shooters, ranking No. 2 in the league with a 76% success rate at the stripe.

Trey Phipps has become one of the most prolific scorers in the country for Northeastern State with an MIAA best 21.2 points per game – the 23^rd most of any player in NCAA Division II. Phipps has made 67 three-pointers and is shooting 41.9% from long range – both figures rank 3^rd in the MIAA.

NSU also features the league's best rebounder in Ethan Blackmon, who leads the MIAA with 7.5 rebounds per night.
 
Will Martin, Julius Dixon, Kidtrell Blocker interview