Fort Hays State starts a two-game road trip at Pittsburg State on Thursday night (Feb. 11) in Pittsburg, Kan. Game time is set for 7:30 pm. Head coach Mark Johnson is on the cusp of 300 career wins as he guides the Tigers against his alma mater in another MIAA battle. FHSU enters at 15-7 overall, 9-7 in the MIAA, while PSU is 12-11 overall and 7-10 in the MIAA.
Johnson, already the all-time wins leader at FHSU, looks to become the first basketball coach in Fort Hays State history (men’s or women’s) to reach the 300-win mark. Johnson is in his 15th season guiding the Tigers and is among the top 20 active NCAA Division II coaches in win percentage. He owns an overall record of 299-134 in his time at FHSU. Johnson gets his first opportunity to reach 300 at his alma mater (Pittsburg State) where he played for two years and earned all-region honors as a senior.
The Tigers look to snap a frustrating five-game losing streak on the road on Thursday. FHSU went through the month of January without a win on the road, but have countered that by winning eight straight at home. FHSU is 6-5 overall since the start of January. But the Tigers are not the only team in the MIAA that has struggled on the road. Only one team, conference leading Northwest Missouri State, has an above .500 record in road games in the MIAA. Two teams sit at .500 and 11 teams (FHSU included) are below .500 on the road in conference play.
FHSU is coming off a pair of home wins last week against Central Missouri and Southwest Baptist. Rob Davis leads the Tigers in scoring at 17.5 points per game. He has reached 20 points in a game nine times this season and scored 22 and 20 in the home wins last week. Dom Samac adds 15.3 points and a team-best 7.5 rebounds per game. Jake Stoppel averages 10.6 points and Craig Nicholson adds 10.5 points per game. Nicholson is just 10 assists away from 600 for his career.