FHSU Sports Information Department
Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball hosts Nebraska-Kearney for its final regular season home game on Tuesday (Feb. 21) at Gross Memorial Coliseum. The annual Senior Night contest will begin at 7:30 pm. Fort Hays State’s two seniors, Rob Davis and JaQuan Smith, will be honored just before the start of the game.
This game has big MIAA Tournament implications as Nebraska-Kearney is currently tied for second in the conference at 11-6 and Fort Hays State is in a three-way tie for fourth at 10-7. A win for the Tigers would pull Nebraska-Kearney into a third-place tie. Only two games separate second through ninth place in the conference standings, so the final week could see a dramatic shift in the standings.
The Tigers are looking for a regular season split with Nebraska-Kearney. The Lopers won the first meeting this season 86-69 in Kearney. The Tigers are looking to snap a three-game losing skid to the Lopers, which dates back to last season. FHSU defeated UNK in Hays last year.
Davis is averaging 21.9 points per game and is just 36 points shy of 2,000 for his collegiate career. He has 1,066 of those points at Fort Hays State, now 16th on the career scoring list at FHSU.
Hadley Gillum scored a career-high 27 points at Central Oklahoma on Saturday. It was the fifth time this season he scored 20 or more in a game. He is averaging 12.8 points per contest. Smith is third on the team in scoring at 7.3 points per contest. He ranks sixth in the MIAA in rebounding (6.6 per game) and seventh in blocked shots per game (1.2).
Nebraska-Kearney is led by Trey Lansman, averaging 19.2 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Four of Nebraska-Kearney’s starters average double figures in scoring.