ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Women's Basketball (6-11, 2-6 MIAA) goes back on the road for another round of MIAA rematches. MoWest first travels to Warrensburg to face Central Missouri (12-5, 6-2 MIAA) on Wednesday evening before a Saturday afternoon game at Washburn (12-5, 5-3 MIAA) in Topeka.
 
Wednesday's game tips at 5:30 p.m., while Saturday's starts at 1 p.m. Both games will be broadcast live on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) with Voice of the Griffons Tommy Rezac on the call.
 
The games are also available to watch on the MIAA Network with a subscription. MoWest goes for a season series sweep over Washburn, and they look to get even with UCM after the Jennies escaped St. Joseph on January 10 with a narrow 58-55 victory.
 
Where We Left Off
Griffon Women's Basketball rolled to an 86-69 win over Nebraska Kearney on Saturday to close its four-game home stand, behind a masterclass showing from Mia Morel, who finished with 39 points and seven made three-pointers.
 
Morel's 39 points tied for the second most points in a game by a Griffon in program history, while her seven made threes also tied for the second most in a single game. Morel, named MIAA Player of the Week for her efforts, shot 13-of-18 from the field against UNK and 7-of-8 from three, adding seven rebounds and six assists.
 
Sydney Lewis added 12 points on a perfect 6-of-6 shooting, along with nine rebounds and three blocks. LaNicia Parker finished with 11 points, four rebounds and three steals. Nakiya Harris chipped in 10 points, eight rebounds, and six assists.
 
Schedule Strength
MoWest's strength of schedule is ranked as No. 5 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 just one game left against a ranked opponent this season - at No. 16 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. 10 in NCAA Division II with 142 made three-pointers for an average of 8.3 makes per game (No. 1 MIAA, No. 12 nation). The Griffs have sunk 33% of their attempts from deep (No. 2 MIAA). Mia Morel leads the way with 34 made three-pointers (No. 4 MIAA), shooting 33.3% from deep (No. 3 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.
 
Other Nuggets
Ana Oliveira Dias is up to No. 3 in the MIAA with 4.4 assists per game and No. 2 in the MIAA with 37 steals (2.3 per game). Meanwhile, Mia Morel ranks No. 5 in the MIAA in assists per game (3.6) and No. 9 in free throw percentage (81.7%).
 
Opponents at a Glance
Central Missouri (12-5, 6-2 MIAA), since a 4-3 start to the season, has gone 8-2 in its last 10 games.
 
UCM is shooting the ball at a high rate, ranking No. 3 in the MIAA with a field goal percentage of 42.3%, including 32.6% from beyond the arc (No. 4 MIAA). The Jennies are doing it behind 15.9 assists per game (No. 2 MIAA).
 
For the second season in a row, senior guard/forward and Drury transfer Reese Schaaf is lighting up the scoreboard, leading UCM with 17.6 points (No. 2 MIAA) and 8.2 rebounds (No. 5 MIAA) per game. She has the most double-doubles in the MIAA with seven, while also sitting at No. 2 in the MIAA in field goal percentage (55.2%).
 
Another second-year Jennie, sophomore guard/forward and Riverside HS (Wathena) graduate Taylor Weishaar, has been just as impressive with 13.9 points and and 7.4 rebounds per outing, tallying two double-doubles thus far. Her 25 blocked shots are tied for No. 4 most in the MIAA.
 
Series History
Wednesday will be the 82nd all-time meeting with UCM, who's led by former MWSU head coach and Hall-of-Famer Dave Slifer. The Jennies lead the series 45-36 all-time, most recently escaping St. Joseph on January 10 with a narrow 58-55 win. MoWest, however, has won each of the last three meetings in Warrensburg.

Slifer, who's in his 22nd season with UCM, owns a 27-14 career record against his former employer.
 
Washburn (12-5, 5-3 MIAA) received six first place votes in the MIAA women's basketball preseason coaches' poll, and the Ichabods have been strong thus far with wins over No. 18 Southwest Minnesota State and No. 3 Fort Hays State.
 
Most recently, Washburn scored road wins at Emporia State (63-52) last Thursday and at Newman (69-55) this past Saturday.
 
The Ichabods have been a defensive-minded team this season with the MIAA's top scoring defense, holding opponents to 57.1 points per game. Washburn is especially strong in guarding the perimeter, holding opponents to 27% shooting from there (No. 2 MIAA).
 
Senior center and two-time all-MIAA pick Yiibari Nwidadah averages a team-leading 13.2 points and team-best 7.6 rebounds per game. Nwidadah, who's played 97 games in an Ichabod uniform, leads the MIAA with an outstanding field goal percentage of 57.9% (No. 14 nation).
 
The Ichabods returned their entire starting lineup from last season and brought back 10 letterwinners in all.
 
Series History
Saturday marks the 108th all-time meeting with Washburn. The Ichabods hold a 58-49 lead in the series, though the Griffons have won eight of the last nine contests since February 2022. MoWest has swept Washburn in the regular season three times in the last four seasons.