KEARNEY, Neb. – Griffon Men's Basketball (11–3, 3–0 MIAA) opened 2026 with a huge 104–80 victory over Nebraska Kearney (7–7, 0–3 MIAA) on Thursday night at the Health and Sports Center.

MWSU took a 52–39 lead into halftime after a strong opening half. Marko Pavlovic paced the Griffons with 13 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field while going 5-of-6 at the free-throw line, adding four rebounds. Bode Goodman provided a spark off the bench with eight points in 10 minutes, shooting 3-of-6 from the floor and 2-of-3 at the line.

The Griffons outscored Nebraska Kearney 52–41 in the second half to secure a 104–80 victory over the Loopers. Gavin Hershberger led the charge after the break, scoring 15 points on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting performance, including 3-of-4 from three-point range, while going 4-of-6 at the free-throw line. The half also featured a milestone moment as Noah King reached the 2,000-point mark in his collegiate career during the decisive win to open the 2026 slate.

Hershberger led the way with 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting, knocking down 4-of-7 from three-point range, while adding four rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

Pavlovic followed with 18 points on 5-of-9 shooting and a team-high 13 rebounds, along with a block.

Ty Henry contributed 15 points, going a perfect 8-of-8 at the free-throw line, to go with five rebounds, three assists, and a steal.

King chipped in 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting, adding three assists.

MWSU finished the game shooting 48.5 percent from the field (32-of-66). The Griffons connected on 40.7 percent from three-point range (11-of-27) and went 29-of-36 at the free-throw line for 80.6 percent.

UNK shot 43.1 percent from the field (28-of-65), hit 45.8 percent from beyond the arc (11-of-24), and finished 13-of-17 at the free-throw line for 76.5 percent.

MoWest Men's Basketball is back in action on Saturday, January 3, heading to Hays, Kansas, for a road matchup against Fort Hays State. Tipoff is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at Gross Memorial Coliseum, with the game featured as the MIAA Game of the Week on 38 The Spot in Kansas City.