FHSU Sports Information Department
Fort Hays State is back at home this week, starting a two-game stretch by hosting Lincoln University on Thursday night (Jan. 26) at 7:30 pm. The Tigers enter at 10-7 overall, 4-5 in the MIAA, while Lincoln is 13-6 overall, 6-4 in the MIAA.
The Tigers are looking to gain traction in the MIAA standings, still only two games out of second place tie that has three teams sitting at 6-3 in conference play. No. 1 ranked Northwest Missouri State has separated from the rest of the pack, leading the conference by three and a half games at 10-0. But Fort Hays State is among several teams still very alive for a top-four spot in the MIAA standings, which gains a bye to the quarterfinals of the MIAA Tournament.
The road will not be easy this week as a 13-6 Lincoln squad comes to town, followed by a 14-8 Lindenwood squad on Saturday. The Tigers are looking to pull closer to Lincoln in the standings while trying to hold off Lindenwood, which is a half-game back of FHSU at 4-6 in the conference.
Rob Davis now has six games this year in which he scored 30 or more points after a 31-point performance against the nation’s No. 1 team, Northwest Missouri State, in a 10-point loss on the road. Davis upped his season scoring average to 23.5 points per game, still leading the MIAA while ranking seventh in the nation. His 53.8 percent shooting percentage beyond the 3-point line has him ranked second in the country, with only Will Francis of Harding better at 55.2 percent.
Brady Werth comes off a big week on the road for the Tigers in which he recorded his first double-double. He had a career-high 19 points and 11 rebounds in a win at Missouri Western, then backed it up with nine points and seven rebounds against Northwest Missouri State. That gave him an average of 14 points and nine rebounds per game last week. Trey O’Neil also stepped up, scoring in double figures in back-to-back games for the first time this season with a week average of 12 points.
Lincoln has one of the best scoring duos in the conference with Anthony Virdure and Jaylon Smith. They are nearly identical in scoring average, Virdure at 20.9 points per game and Smith and 20.8 for the season. They have combined for 80 3-point field goals this year, while Maurice Mason has added 37. Virdure is great at getting fouled, currently with 161 free-throw attempts for the season, while Smith has shot 85 free throws. Expect the ball to fly out of their hands plenty, Smith with 329 field goal attempts and Virdure with 290, combining for 619 (54.4 percent) of the team’s 1,138 attempts.