ST. JOSEPH, Mo. - Griffon Women's Basketball (11-15, 7-10 MIAA) wraps up its regular season this week with a home game against Emporia State (14-12, 8-9 MIAA) on Wednesday and a road test at Newman (7-19, 1-16 MIAA) on Saturday.
 
Tip-off from MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph Wednesday is set for 5:30 p.m., while Saturday's game at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita, Kansas is set for 1:30 p.m. The 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.
 
The MoWest women need just one win to clinch a trip to the MIAA tournament for a fifth consecutive season. The brackets for the conference tournament will be released this Saturday evening.
 
Where We Left Off
Griffon Women's Basketball picked up its third win a row with a 79-70 victory over Northeastern State on Saturday at MWSU Fieldhouse in St. Joseph.
 
After a back-and-forth start, MoWest eked out a 20-19 lead at the end of the first quarter, and led 36-32 by halftime. It was still anybody's game by the start of the fourth with MoWest leading 55-54.
 
The fourth quarter, however, belonged to the Griffons, as MoWest scored 24 points over the final 10 minutes to put it away, going 12-of-13 at the foul line during that time.
 
Mia Morel finished a masterful week with a game-high 26 points on 4-of-11 shooting from three and a 6-of-6 mark at the free throw line. Sydney Lewis came off the bench to score 14 and grab six rebounds. Nakiya Harris put up 13 points and seven boards – all in the second half.
 
Lindsey Kelderman added 10, connecting on a pair of three-pointers. The Griffons finished the game 18-of-21 at the free throw line, and shot 25-of-58 (43.1%) overall, including 11-of-36 (30.6%) from three. MoWest doled out 19 assists and scored 24 points in the paint. The Griffons, winners in five of their last six games, moved up to No. 9 the MIAA standings as well.
 
First Half Hindrances
MoWest has gotten off to some slow starts this season, trailing at halftime 14 different times. MoWest is 3-13 this season when tied or trailing at halftime, but 8-2 when leading at halftime.
 
MoWest has trailed at halftime by 14 points or more seven times this season. The Griffons have often shown the ability to fight back, but at times have come up short, with nine of their 15 losses coming by 10 points or less. Seven of the 15 losses are to ranked opponents.
 
Crunching Numbers
MoWest's 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. MoWest has played seven ranked opponents this season - all of them ranked No. 20 or higher.
 
MoWest will have faced six teams this season that made the NCAA tournament in 2024-25, and five teams that finished last season ranked 13th or higher in the WBCA Coaches' Poll. The Griffons have lost to just one team this season with a losing record - at Nebraska-Kearney (14-15) on Jan. 1.
 
Staying Sharp from Long Range
MoWest continues to be a threat from beyond the arc, ranking No. 1 in the MIAA and No. 16 in NCAA Division II with 216 made three-pointers for an average of 8.3 makes per game (No. 1 MIAA, No. 13 nation). The Griffs have sunk 33.3% of their attempts from deep (No. 2 MIAA). Mia Morel leads the way with 61 made three-pointers (No. 2 MIAA), shooting 35.9% from deep (No. 3 MIAA).
 
Worth Noting
Mia Morel is up to No. 3 in the MIAA in scoring, averaging 16.5 points per game, scoring in double figures in each of the last 18 games, including a 39-point barrage vs. Nebraska-Kearney on January 17.
 
MoWest ranks No. 2 in the MIAA in total steals (240) and No. 1 in steals per game (9.23). Ana Oliveira Dias is No. 2 in the MIAA in steals (55), averaging 2.2 swipes per game. Dias also ranks No. 3 in the MIAA with 4.8 assists per game.

Opponents at a Glance
Emporia State (14-12, 8-9 MIAA) is on the verge of clinching their own bid to the MIAA tournament, sitting at No. 8 in the standings entering the week.

The Hornets have played well as of late, winning four of their last six games, including a 71-59 win over Newman at home this past Saturday. ESU ranks No. 3 in the MIAA in offensive rebounds per game (12.3). In the scoring column, Kaitlyn Sanders sits No. 6 in the league with 15.5 points per game. Veteran guard Gracie Gilpin has been the sharp shooter from deep, hitting 60 three-pointers this season (No. 3 MIAA).

Series History
Saturday will be the 104th all-time meeting with Emporia State. The Hornets lead the all-time series 61-42, including a 69-59 win over MoWest at Civic White Auditorium on December 6, 2025 earlier this season. That being said, the Griffs have gone 7-1 against the Hornets since December 2022.

Newman (7-19, 1-16 MIAA), after making the MIAA tournament in 2023, has again fallen on hard times, going 2-26 in 2023-24 and 7-21 last season. The Jets are a combined 4-54 in MIAA play since the start of the 2023-24 season.

Newman's lone conference win was at home vs. Arkansas-Fort Smith on Dec. 6 (77-60), and the Jets have lost 15 in a row since a win at Rockhurst (69-51) on December 18. Newman does love to shoot the three, ranking No. 3 in the MIAA in made threes (204) on 704 attempts (9th most in NCAA D2). The Jets also tie for the fewest turnovers of any team in the MIAA with 13.3 per game.

Series History
Saturday will be 12th all-time meeting with Newman. MoWest is 11-0 against the Jets all time, including 6-0 at Fugate Gymnasium. Each of the last four wins over Newman have come by a minimum of 48 points.