Fort Hays State men’s basketball looks to even its overall record for the season when it hosts Bethel College (Kan.) at 4 pm on Saturday (Nov. 22) at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. The Tigers enter the game at 1-2 on the young season, while Bethel holds a record of 4-5 as of Thursday. Bethel plays on Friday before coming to Hays Saturday.
The Tigers are coming off an 84-42 win over Central Christian on Wednesday night at home, gaining their first win of the season. The Tigers played solid defense, holding Central Christian to just 19.2 percent shooting from the field. FHSU dominated in low, scoring 38 points in the paint, and added 29 free-throws on the night to make up for a 3-of-18 effort beyond the 3-point line.Jeremy Wilson led the way for the Tigers with 16 points, which included three dunks, and Jake Stoppel pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds.
Craig Nicholson leads the Tigers in scoring at 16.7 points per game and assists at 4.3 per game. Stoppel leads the team in rebounding at 7.3 per game. Nicholson has scored in double figures each game this year, with 24 as his season high in the opener against Upper Iowa. The Tigers have six players averaging better than seven points per game, but Nicholson is the only one currently averaging double figures.
Bethel struggled to an 0-27 record overall last year, but has already won four games this year. The Threshers are under the guidance of first-year head coach Tony Hoops. Adam Arciniega leads the Threshers in scoring at 25.4 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.
Following Saturday’s contest, the Tigers head on the road for an in-state non-conference match-up at Newman University, then return to Hays for five consecutive home games.