ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Women's Basketball (4-9, 0-4 MIAA) starts a four-game home stand this week with games against Washburn (10-3, 3-1 MIAA) on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. and then a showdown with Central Missouri (9-4, 3-1 MIAA) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
 
Both games will be broadcast live 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 has the call of both games with former Griffon Women's Basketball coach Rob Edmisson as analyst. Pregame coverage for both games will start 15 minutes prior to tip-off.
 
Where Were We?
Griffon Women's Basketball was outscored by No. 6 Fort Hays State 31-13 in the third quarter, which led to an 87-56 defeat at the hands of the Tigers on Saturday at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays.
 
MoWest, which hadn't lost in Hays since February 2022, hung in early, trailing only 36-31 at halftime after holding the Tigers to eight second quarter points.
 
Things got off to a bad start quickly in the third quarter, as Hays opened the second half on a 17-2 run to lead 53-35 with 4:30 remaining in the third.
 
The Griffons, who start 0-4 in the MIAA play for the first time since 2013-14, were held scoreless for the first 5:23 of the fourth quarter, allowing the Hays lead to balloon to as much as 35 points.
 
MoWest shot only 7-of-29 (24.1%) the second half, including just 1-of-10 from three.
 
Mia Morel led the Griffons with 13 points. LaNicia Parker came off the bench for 11 points. Ana Oliveira Dias scored 10 to go with seven assists. Lindsey Kelderman scored eight, while Nakiya Harris had seven points and a game-high 16 rebounds.
 
Schedule Strength
MoWest's strength of schedule is ranked as No. 9 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 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 has continued to be a consistent threat from beyond the arc, ranking No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 10 in NCAA Division II with 113 made threes for an average of 8.7 makes per game (No. 1 MIAA, No. 8 nation). The Griffs have sunk 33.6% of their attempts from deep (No. 3 MIAA). Lindsey Kelderman leads the way with 25 made three-pointers (No. 5 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 8.8 rebounds per game. Her three double-doubles is tied for second most in the MIAA as well.
 
Other Nuggets
Ana Oliveira Dias is up to No. 3 in the MIAA with 4.2 assists per game and No. 5 in the MIAA with 25 steals (2.1 per game).
 
Meanwhile, Mia Morel ranks No. 5 in the MIAA in assists per game (3.6) and No. 6 in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.7).

Opponents at a Glance
Washburn (10-3, 3-1 MIAA) received six first place votes in the MIAA women's basketball preseason poll, and the Ichabods have played like contenders thus far. With wins over No. 18 Southwest Minnesota State and No. 3 Fort Hays State, Washburn enters the week on a four-game winning streak, most recently hammering Turnpike Tussle rival Emporia State, 86-59, on Saturday in Topeka.
 
Washburn has been a defensive-minded team this season with the MIAA's best scoring defense, holding opponents to 55.6 points per game (No. 25 nation). The Ichabods are especially strong in guarding the perimeter, holding opponents to 25.5% shooting from there (No. 1 MIAA).
 
Senior and all-MIAA guard Payton Sterk leads the Ichabods offensively with 13.2 points per game. Sterk ranks No. 2 in the MIAA with a three-point shooting percentage of 36%.
 
Senior center and two-time all-MIAA pick Yiibari Nwidadah averages 12.6 points and a team-best 6.8 rebounds per game. Nwidadah, who's played 93 games in an Ichabod uniform, leads the MIAA with an outstanding field goal percentage of 57.4% (No. 18 nation).
 
The Ichabods returned their entire starting lineup from last season and brought back 10 letterwinners in all.
 
Series History
Wednesday marks the 107th all-time meeting with Washburn. The Ichabods hold a 58-48 lead in the series, though the Griffons have won seven of the last contests since February 2022.
 
Central Missouri (9-4, 3-1 MIAA) has played well as of late. Since a 4-3 start, the Jennies have gone 5-1 in their last six games since December 6, and now enter the week on a three-game winning streak.
 
UCM, who will first play at Northwest on Wednesday night, is shooting the ball at a high rate, ranking No. 2 in the MIAA with a field goal percentage of 44.1%, including 35.1% from beyond the arc (No. 2 MIAA, No. 20 nation).
 
For the second season in a row, senior guard/forward and Drury transfer Reese Schaaf is lighting up the scoreboard, leading UCM with 16.4 points (No. 3 MIAA) and 7.5 rebounds (No. 9 MIAA) per game. She's tied for most double-doubles in the MIAA with five. Schaaf also sits second in the MIAA with a field goal percentage of 53.1%.
 
Another second-year Jennie, sophomore guard/forward and Riverside HS (Wathena) graduate Taylor Weishaar, has been just as impressive with 13.8 points and and a team-leading 8 rebounds (No. 6 MIAA) per outing, tallying two double-doubles thus far. Her 18 blocked shots are tied for No. 3 most in the MIAA.
 
Series History
Saturday will be the 81st all-time meeting with UCM, who's led by former MWSU head coach and Hall-of-Famer Dave Slifer. The Jennies lead the series 44-36 all-time, most recently escaping St. Joseph last January with a 68-62 OT win. Still, MoWest has won seven of the last 10 against the Jens dating back to February 2020.
 
Slifer's won's in his 22nd season with UCM, owns a 26-14 career record against his former employer.