ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Women's Basketball (5-10, 1-5 MIAA) stays home this week for two more MIAA battles - first against No. 6 Fort Hays State (14-1, 5-1 MIAA) on Thursday at 5:30 p.m. MoWest then will host Nebraska-Kearney (9-8, 2-4 MIAA) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
 
Both games will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) and available to watch on the MIAA Network with a subscription.
 
Voice of the Griffons Tommy Rezac will be on the call with former Griffon Women's Basketball coach Rob Edmisson as analyst. Pregame coverage for both games will start 15 minutes before tip-off.
 
These games mark the first rematches of the season for MoWest. The Griffons lost at UNK on Jan. 1, 84-76, and then at Hays on Jan. 3, 87-56.
 
Where We Left Off
Griffon Women's Basketball kept it close with Central Missouri the entire way, but the Jennies held on for a 58-55 win over the Griffons on Saturday at MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph.
 
MoWest held a lead for just over a minute in the first quarter, but never had a lead from the second quarter on. Trailing 29-21 at halftime, MoWest hung around and cut the deficit to 56-55 with 1:05 to go, thanks to a free throw by Ana Oliveira Dias.
 
MoWest had chances to tie or take the lead in the final minute, but turnovers on two of their last three possessions nullified that chance. The Griffons had the ball last, and Mia Morel had a strong look at a tying three-pointer on the right wing with about two seconds left, but the shot was just off.
 
Dias led MoWest with a game-high 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting. She was 2-for-3 from three and 4-of-6 at the foul line. Morel finished with 11 points.
 
MoWest shot 21-of-50 (42%) from the field, including 4-of-14 (28.6%) from three. The Griffs hit 9-of-11 (81.8%) at the foul line. UCM outrebounded MWSU on the offensive glass 15-1, leading to 14 second chance points for the Jennies.
 
Schedule Strength
MoWest's strength of schedule is ranked as No. 8 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 still has two games left against ranked opponents - a home game against No. 6 Fort Hays State on January 15 and one at No. 11 Pittsburg State on February 11.
 
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 inside the top 13 in the WBCA Coaches' Poll.
 
Staying Sharp from Long Range
MoWest continues to be a threat from beyond the arc, ranking No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 9 in NCAA Division II with 125 made three-pointers for an average of 8.3 makes per game (No. 1 MIAA, No. 10 nation). The Griffs have sunk 33.4% of their attempts from deep (No. 3 MIAA). Lindsey Kelderman leads the way with 27 made three-pointers (No. 7 MIAA).
 
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. 3 in the MIAA with 8.4 rebounds per game. Her three double-doubles is third most in the MIAA as well.
 
Other Nuggets
Ana Oliveira Dias is up to No. 3 in the MIAA with 4.3 assists per game and No. 2 in the MIAA with 34 steals (2.4 per game).
 
Meanwhile, Mia Morel ranks No. 5 in the MIAA in assists per game (3.5) and No. 4 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.6).

Opponents at a Glance
No. 6 Fort Hays State (14-1, 5-1 MIAA) is in a four-way tie for first place in the MIAA standings, currently riding a seven-game winning streak, most recently drubbing in-state rival Emporia State on the road last Thursday 82-64.
 
FHSU ranks No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 9 in NCAA Division II in scoring offense (80.5). The Tigers have outscored their opposition this year by an average of 16.6 points (No. 1 MIAA, No. 19 nation).

The Tigers shoot 48.7% from the field (No. 1 MIAA, No. 4 nation) and 35.7% from three (No. 1 MIAA, No. 17 nation) with a 1.37 assist-to-turnover ratio (No. 1 MIAA, No. 1 nation). The Tigers average a whopping 21.4 assists per game (No. 1 MIAA, No. 1 nation).
 
Junior Talexa Weeter has flat out dominated this season for FHSU, leading the MIAA and NCAA D2 with 28.6 points per game. She has scored 20 or more points in 14 games this season and 30+ in six games. She's also No. 2 in the MIAA with 9.0 rebounds per contest.
 
Another supreme guard talent FHSU boasts is senior Brooke Loewe, who averages an MIAA and NCAA D2-leading 11.1 assists per game with an MIAA-best 2.4 assist-to-turnover ratio (No. 11 nation).
 
Series History
Saturday marks the 66th all-time meeting with Fort Hays State. Hays leads the all-time series 37-28.
 
MoWest had swept FHSU in the regular season each of the last two years, but Hays dominated MoWest on Jan. 3, 87-56, at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays, Kansas earlier this season. Hays now seeks its first win in St. Joseph since December 10, 2022.

Nebraska-Kearney (9-8, 2-4 MIAA) has had an up-and-down season up to this point. UNK beat both MoWest and Northwest to start the New Year, but have since lost at home to No. 6 Fort Hays State, 84-73, and then at Emporia State this past Saturday, 82-78.

Like MoWest, UNK is capable of hitting three-pointers, ranking No. 2 in the MIAA in made threes (119) and No. 4 in three-point percentage (32.5%). Overall, UNK is shooting 42.8% from the field (No. 2 MIAA).
 
Ironically, former Griffon and current Loper, Malgorzata "Gosia" Byczkowska, is tied for the MIAA lead with 39 made three-pointers (t-7th nation), ranking No. 2 in the MIAA in three-point percentage (35.4%).
 
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. 4 MIAA). Weers, a true freshman, put up 23 points against MoWest on January 1 - one of six games this season where she's scored 20 or more.
 
Defensively, UNK ranks No. 2 in takeaways per game (19.5). The Lopers lead the league in steals per game (10.5) and total steals (179). Saniya Simmons sits No. 2 in the MIAA with 2.3 steals per game.
 
Series History
Thursday marks the 57th all-time meeting with UNK. The Griffons hold a 31-25 advantage in this series, and have won each of the last three meetings in St. Joseph. In fact, the home team in this series has been victorious in each of the last eight regular season meetings dating back to February 2022.