Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball hosts Nebraska-Kearney in the first game of a two-game homestand at Gross Memorial Coliseum this week. The Tigers and Lopers will tipoff at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday evening. FHSU enters the game at 13-8 overall, 6-6 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association, while UNK enters at 13-6 overall, 8-4 in the MIAA.
The Tigers are looking to make a move in the conference standings once again, two games out of fourth place in the standings. FHSU is currently tied with Central Oklahoma for seventh, but is still in the hunt for a first-round bye for the MIAA Tournament. The Tigers are coming off a 69-58 loss at Washburn this past Saturday.The Tigers play their fourth game in an eight-game stretch against rival opponents on Thursday night, hosting the Lopers, a long-time rival to the north. The Tigers have won eight of the last nine meetings between the schools. A loss at Kearney last year ended a seven-game win streak against the Lopers, before FHSU won the second meeting of the season in Hays last year.FHSU is looking to chase down Nebraska-Kearney in the standings. UNK is currently one of three teams tied for fourth in the standings. The Lopers are coming off a two-point loss at Emporia State on Sunday.
Royce Williams leads active Tiger players in scoring at 10.5 points per game, followed by Achoki Moikobu at 9.8. Dom Samacis coming off the bench to average 9.4 per game, while James Fleming is adding 8.0 per game. Also averaging better than seven points per game are Jeremy Wilson (7.6) and Jake Stoppel (7.4).
Connor Beranek, a three-time MIAA Player of the Week this season, leads UNK in scoring at 19.2 per game. Ethan Brozek adds 17.9 per game, giving UNK a potent 1-2 punch. The pair combines to average 16.3 rebounds per game.