ST. JOSEPH – Griffon men’s basketball (3-11, 1-6 MIAA) fell to Central Missouri (13-2, 5-1 MIAA) at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Missouri Western cut the Mule lead down to four points two different times with less than two minutes remaining in the game.

TJ Evans connected on a four point play with 1:21 left in the game to allow MWSU to cut it to four points. UCM rattled off three straight points at the free-throw line to push the lead back to seven points.

Trey Brown answered for the Griffons with a three pointer with 43 seconds remaining. However, it wouldn’t be enough for Missouri Western as the Mules hit free-throws down the stretch to pull away.

It is the fifth consecutive loss for MWSU and fifth straight win for Central Missouri.

NOTABLES
– Trey Brown scored in double-figures for the third consecutive game

– Cole Clearman and TJ Evans each had three assists for Missouri Western

– MWSU has a 7-0 run with 1:21 left in the game to cut the lead to four points, it was the longest run the Griffons had in the game

– Central Missouri shot 50 percent from the field, the second highest by a MWSU opponent this season

– UCM’s Jakob Lowrence recorded a double-double

UP NEXT
Missouri Western stays at home on Monday, Jan. 15 against Southwest Baptist (9-6). Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – The Griffon women (10-6, 3-4 MIAA) nearly snapped their MIAA skid, falling in overtime to No. 12 Central Missouri (12-1, 6-0 MIAA), 80-76 on Saturday afternoon.

Central Missouri never led in the final 3:49 of regulation, but each time the Griffons built a lead, Central Missouri answered to tie the game. Central Missouri took control early in overtime, never trailing and never allowing the Griffons to get closer than two points.

Melia Richardson ended an 8-2 Central Missouri run early in the fourth quarter by scoring eight-straight points for the Griffons. The junior guard knocked down back-to-back three pointers then sank a pair of free throws to turn a four point Jennie lead into a two-point Griffon lead with 3:04 to go in regulation. Central Missouri never led again in regulation, but tied the game four times including a pair of Paige Redmond free throws with 1:35 left in the game. Missouri Western couldn’t get the winner over the final 95 seconds, sending both teams into their first overtime game of the season.

It was the Griffons fourth-straight MIAA loss after beginning 3-0 in conference play.

NOTABLES
– Missouri Western shot 54 percent from the field with UCM shooting 49 percent

– Central Missouri shot 81.6 percent from the free throw line and took 28 more free throws(38) than the Griffons (11) who shot 54.5 percent at the line

– The Griffons were tagged with 29 personal fouls and saw Jessica Davies foul out in regulation with Ndiaye and KeShara Scott fouling out in the overtime period. Central Missouri had 11 personal fouls

– Missouri Western outscored UCM 42-26 in the paint

– UCM scored 22 points on 15 MWSU turnovers with the Griffons scoring nine points on 14 Jennie turnovers

– Dossou Ndiaye scored a career-high 23 points, on 11-of-17 shooting from the field

– Savannah Lentz tied a career-high with five rebounds while scoring 11 points on 3-of-7 shooting from three-point range

– Richardson’s two huge three pointers in the fourth quarter were a career high. She ended with 12 points

– KeShara Scott had a team-high eight rebounds

– Brittany Atkins posted career-highs with seven assists and five steals. She also scored 19 points

UP NEXT
Missouri Western hosts Southwest Baptist (9-6, 1-5 MIAA) in a re-scheduled game on Monday, Jan. 15. SBU came back from down 10 in the fourth quarter to win 75-70 at Northwest Missouri on Saturday.

— MWSU Athletics —

LINCOLN, Neb. – Missouri Western track and field athletes broke six program records and set a new one on the first day of competition at the Graduate Classic hosted by the University of Nebraska.

Megan Gillen broke the school record in the 800m, finishing 5th with a 2:24.70. Claire Reedy finished sixth (2:25.36) and Alison Nutt (2:29.11) was eighth in the 800m. After Nate Jelinek (2:04.43) broke the men’s 800m record in the first heat, Chris Stanley (2:01.34) broke it again in the second, finishing eighth. Phil Thompson broke his long jump record (6.45m/21-02.00), finishing 16th. Mariah Smith set the mark in the women’s 1,000m with a 16th place finish (3:37.31). Jordan Garr improved on his school record weight throw to finish 17th (13.63m/44-08.75). Christian Arbuthnot improved on the MWSU men’s 3,000m record, finishing 13th with an 8:58.51. Peyton Moore (9.93) advanced to the next round in the women’s 60m hurdles.

Competition continues Saturday with more events and finals for some events that completed heats and qualifying on Friday.

For complete results from Friday’s action and startlists for Saturday’s competition, click here.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western head football coach Matt Willamson has announced the promotion of Derek Fulton to offensive assistant and special teams coordinator.

Fulton served as an offensive graduate assistant at Missouri Western the past two seasons. He worked with quarterbacks both seasons and also worked with wide receivers during the 2017 season.

“I’m really happy we were able to add Derek to our full-time staff,” Williamson said. “He’s mature beyond his years and proved his abilities working with some of our offensive skill positions last year.”

Fulton went 41-6 as a four-year starter at quarterback for Grand View University, leading the team to the 2013 NAIA National Championship. He was named the Heart of America Athletic Conference Player of the Year in 2014 and 2015 and was a 2014 AFCA NAIA All-American.

A native of Daveport, Iowa, Fulton graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Sports Management from Grand View and a master’s in sport and fitness management from Missouri Western.

— MWSU Athletics —

JOPLIN, Mo. – Griffon men’s basketball (3-10, 1-5 MIAA) fell at Missouri Southern (9-6, 4-2 MIAA) 72-66. The Lions connected on four three pointers in the final 3:37 minutes of the game to pull away from MWSU.

Missouri Western led most of the second half as it outscored Missouri Southern 15-4 in the first 10 minutes of the second half. The Griffons had a nine-point lead with 10:16 remaining in the game after they rattled off 10 straight points.

A Trey Brown three-pointer with 25 seconds left in the first half allowed Missouri Western to tie game at the half and build momentum for the second half. The Griffons used a 9-0 run at the 7:54 minute mark in the first half to take a four point lead and erase a five point deficit.

MWSU led for over 18 minutes in a back and forth game that had 14 lead changes and 12 ties. Defensively, the Griffons held the Lions to nine points under their season average. Missouri Southern knocked off No. 1 Northwest Missouri in its last game on Jan. 4.

NOTABLES
– Bryan Hudson had career highs with 14 points and eight rebounds

– Lavon Hightower scored 19 points, it the seventh straight game he has been in double-figures

– The Griffons were 78.6 percent from the free-throw line, the fourth highest this season

– Missouri Southern’s Elyjah Clark scored seven of his 21 points in the final minute of the game

– MSSU outrebounded MWSU 47-35 and 21-10 on the offensive side of the ball

UP NEXT
Missouri Western hosts Southwest Baptist on Thursday, Jan. 11. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

— MWSU Athletics —

JOPLIN, Mo. – A 22-7 opening run by Missouri Southern (7-7, 4-2) dug a hole too deep to climb out of for the Missouri Western women’s basketball team (10-5, 3-3) on Saturday afternoon.

The Griffons trailed 30-14 after the first quarter, but climbed back into the game with a 9-0 run to start the second quarter. The run wasn’t enough with Missouri Southern again stretching the lead to double digits and handing the Griffons their third straight MIAA loss, 76-64.

NOTABLES
– Missouri Western cut the Southern lead to seven with six minutes left in the first half, but back-to-back Jenson Maydew three pointers stretched the lead back to 13.

– MWSU got back within nine early in the third quarter before Missouri Southern went on a 9-2 run

– Southern’s Maydew went 7-of-9 from three point range and scored 23 points

– The two teams combined for 28 first half personal fouls. Missouri Western had two players with three fouls at the break. Three Griffons ended the game with four fouls and KeShara Scott fouled out

– The win was Missouri Southern’s sixth-straight after starting the season 1-7

– Brittany Atkins led Missouri Western with 17 points

– Melia Richardson was the only other Griffon in double-figures. Richardson has scored at least 13 points in four of the last five games

UP NEXT
Missouri Western returns home for two games next week, hosting Southwest Baptist (8-6, 0-5) on Thursday, Jan. 11.

— MWSU Athletics —

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Missouri Western men’s basketball (3-9, 1-4 MIAA) fell at Pittsburg State (9-5, 2-3) 82-77. Trey Brown’s three-point attempt to tie the game with 12 seconds left fell short and the Gorillas iced the game with a pair of free-throws.

The Griffons had a second half surge led by a career night from Trey Brown. Faced with a 14 point deficit, Brown hit a three-pointer and sparked a 21-3 run. The run gave MWSU a four point lead with 8:33 remaining in the game.

Missouri Western pushed its lead to five points with 5:22 left in the second half. However, the Gorillas used a 13-2 run to put the game away and outscored the Griffons 17-7 in the final five minutes. MWSU did outscore PSU 45-43 in the second half.

Bryan Hudson joined Brown in career-high for points. Cheikh Fall grabbed nine rebounds and TJ Evans pulled eight rebounds, both career-highs.

NOTABLES
– Missouri Western was 12-13 from the free-throw line and shot a season-best 92.3 percent from the free-throw line

– The Griffons shot 50 percent from the three-point arc and 46.7 percent from the field in the second half

– Lavon Hightower scored 14 points, the sixth straight game he scored in double-figures

– Four Gorillas and three Griffons scored in double-digits
– Xavier Adams scored a game-high 26 points for Pittsburg State

UP NEXT
Missouri Western travels to Missouri Southern on Saturday, Jan. 6 for a 3:30 p.m. tip-off.

— MWSU Athletics —

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Missouri Western women’s basketball (10-4, 3-2 MIAA) fell to Pittsburg State (10-4, 3-2) 79-56. The Griffons shot just 34.5 percent from the field as the Gorillas shot 49.1 percent.

PSU used a 17-4 run over seven minutes in the first half to extend its early lead to 19 points. Missouri Western attempted to chip away as it countered with a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 13 points midway through the second quarter.

The second half saw Pittsburg State go for another big run as it outscored MWSU 12-1 to push the lead to 74-41 with 6:18 left in the game. The Griffons would not go away in the second half as they closed the game on a 15-5 run. MWSU outscored PSU 16-13 in the fourth quarter.

NOTABLES
– Missouri Western shot 85.7 percent from the free-throw line, the second highest this season

– The Griffons attempted 21 free-throws, they now have attempted 21 or more free-throws in back-to-back games

– Cera Ledbetter had a team-high 16 points, it is the fourth straight game she has scored in double-digits

– Brittany Atkins scored 14 points in the game with 12 points in the second half

– Pittsburg State was 8-18 from the three-point arc and Missouri Western was 0-12 from the three-point line

UP NEXT
Missouri Western travels to Missouri Southern on Saturday, Jan. 6. Tip-off is set for 1:30 p.m. in Joplin, Missouri.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Griffon women’s basketball (10-3) snapped a two-game losing streak with a convincing 72-52 win over Quincy (3-8) on Saturday afternoon in the MWSU Fieldhouse.

The win was Rob Edmisson’s 99th as head coach at Missouri Western. The Griffons led for 38 minutes of the game and never trailed.

NOTABLES
– Edmisson moved to 99-53 in his sixth season at Missouri Western

– Melia Richardson led the Griffons with 15 points and tied for the team lead with five assists

– Dossou Ndiaye had a career-high five assists, all in the first half, to go with her 12 points

– KeShara Scott just missed a double-double with a team-high nine rebounds and 12 points

– The Griffons shot 55 percent from the field in the second half and 46 percent in the game

– MWSU out-rebounded Quincy 37-21

– Missouri Western scored 21 points off 21 Quincy turnovers

UP NEXT
Missouri Western returns to MIAA play, Wednesday, Jan. 3 when the team travels to Pittsburg State (9-4). The Gorillas lost a non-conference game in overtime at Emporia State on Saturday.

— MWSU Athletics —

ST. JOSEPH – Missouri Western head football coach Matt Williamson has announced the hiring of Dave Brown as offensive coordinator.

Brown comes to MWSU after serving as passing game coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Colorado State-Pueblo the past two seasons.

“Dave is a winner and brings diverse experience at several levels to Missouri Western,” Williamson said. “He coached one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in college football history and has been a part of championship football everywhere he’s been including here in the MIAA.”

In two seasons at CSU-Pueblo, Brown was part of two RMAC Co-Championships along with seeing the ThunderWolves offense toward the top of the conference. His quarterbacks completed better than 59 percent of their passes, threw for nearly 4,500 yards and 37 touchdowns.

Prior to his two years at CSU-Pueblo, Brown was hand-picked by John L. Smith to be the offensive coordinator at Fort Lewis College. At Fort Lewis, Brrown helped the team to its best season in eight years with an offense that ranked second in the RMAC. Brown came to Fort Lewis after six years at Nevada where he helped Colin Kaepernick become the only player in NCAA history to throw for 10,000 yards and rush for 4,000 in his career. Brown was instrumental in the implementation and development of the pistol offense at Nevada and later installed the same offense at Portland State.

Brown’s coaching career began at his alma mater, Central Missouri, in 2001. While at UCM, Brown coached the school’s top-two career rushers and scorers. During his time in Warrensburg, the Mules posted a 43-13 record, won the MIAA and appeared in the NCAA DII playoffs.

Brown also coached one season at Portland State, helping the Vikings lead the Big Sky Conference in rushing and improving their offensive output by more than 95 yards per game.

Brown earned a bachelor’s degree in physical education at Central Missouri and master’s degrees from UCM and Nevada. He replaces Chet Pobolish who became head coach at Southwestern Oklahoma State in November. Brown’s father, Paul, is a longtime high school coach in the Kansas City area with head coaching stints at Turner, Bishop Miege and Baeshor-Linwood. In 2016, Paul Brown was inducted into the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

— MWSU Athletics —