By TOMMY REZAC
St. Joseph Post
The Missouri Western women’s basketball team (21-9) has arrived in Hays, KS and the Griffons are set for their NCAA tournament game against Southwestern Oklahoma State at Gross Coliseum on Friday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.
The Griffons are the No . 7 seed in the Central Region bracket and have made their way into the tournament for the first time in six seasons, and for the first time in Candi Whitaker's three-year tenure.
"I'm really thrilled for our program and for our players and coaches," Whitaker said. "Everyone has worked really hard to build on the momentum we had at the end of last year and getting better and understanding more of what we're capable of."
Missouri Western was last in action this past Saturday in the MIAA tournament semifinals, where they fell 65-58 to No. 1 seed and regular season co-conference champion Missouri Southern - a game in which the Griffons committed a season-high tying 26 turnovers.
"Our team can see the night-and-day difference of when we execute and when we don't," Whitaker said of that latest setback. "Missouri Southern is a great defensive team. They make you execute. They make you get to multiple things, and when you don't do that, you don't get a good result."
The Griffons have a tough test in the first round in No. 2 seed Southwestern Oklahoma State - a team that won the Great American Conference tournament and regular season championship.
The Bulldogs are 29-4 overall have won 14 straight games. Whitaker believes her team is up for the challenge, saying the competition level in Division II, particularly in the Central Region, is always strong.
"I really do believe at the DII level, everyone is really right there," Whitaker said. "There's not a huge difference in this region between the No. 1 and the No. 8 seed. If you're winning and competing in this region, you have a shot across the country. As long as you're getting an opportunity and are alive, that's all we can ask for."
Southwestern Oklahoma State is led by Central Region Player of the Year, back-to-back GAC Player of the Year and All-American guard Makyra Tramble, who averages 19.6 points and 7.3 rebounds per game - both rank top 10 in the conference.
Her 174 assists and 232 made field goals rank top five among all players in the nation.
SWOSU is No. 3 in the nation in scoring (82.8), No. 1 in three-pointers made (319) and No. 4 in assists per game (17.9). A big reason for all of that - they love to shoot. Like, a lot.
SWOSU is No. 3 in the nation in field goals made (1007). They're also third nationally in field goals attempted (2331). For comparison, Missouri Western is 823-of-1886 on field goal attempts this season.
"They can really, really shoot it," Whitaker observed. "They like to put up as many shots as humanly possible. I have never in my life watched so many dribble-up threes. The ball is going to be in the air. We have to guard them."
Missouri Western is one of four teams from the MIAA to make the NCAA tournament. Fort Hays State (28-3) is the No. 1 seed and the host of the Central region.
Missouri Southern (24-6) is the No. 4 and Nebraska-Kearney (23-7) is the No. 6 seed.
The Griffons have played Kearney, Hays and Southern all within the last two weeks and lost all three. Two of those losses, though, were by single digits. One was in overtime. The Griffons also had a halftime lead in all three of those contests.
"We've played well against those teams," Whitaker said. "We've battled in a lot of ways. So, if we can turn the corner as far as not having the lapses that we have and some execution problems at times, I think we can complete a 40-minute game and beat someone of that caliber."
Missouri Western got off to a 9-0 start. Then, they were 18-3. Best start in six years. Yes, they're 3-6 in their last nine games, but the turnaround has been remarkable.
Six wins last year. 21 and counting this year. First MIAA tournament win since 2018. Second time reaching 20-plus wins in three years. Season series sweeps over UCM and Washburn.
The story of this season isn't quite over yet. But, no matter happens Friday or all of this weekend, Whitaker will rightfully look back on this 2021-22 season with pride, knowing the turnaround was a complete team effort.
"It's been a strength of ours all year that we have multiple people who can make plays," Whitaker said. "I think our team shares it well. They all have responsibility in scoring and execution."
The Griffons seek their first win in an NCAA tournament game since 2001. If Missouri Western wins, they’d face either Minnesota-Duluth or Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday at 5 p.m. in the regional semifinals.
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