By ELI BLANKINSHIP
Tiger Media Network
After a stellar performance against No. 22 MSU Denver Friday night, the FHSU men’s basketball team is set to finish its three-game homestand today, playing Regis University in the final non-conference game of the regular season
“We can enjoy this win tonight [Friday],” said freshman guard Aidan McDowell, who led the Tigers (7-3) with a career-high 24 points against MSU Denver, “but [Saturday] at practice we’ve really got to lock in on Regis so that we can finish out the [homestand] how we want to finish it.”
The Rangers (5-6) took on one of the Tigers’ conference rivals, the University of Nebraska Kearney Lopers (2-7), Friday night and came up short, 84-71. Leading the scoring for the Rangers was the 6-foot-4 graduate student Eddy Egun, who had 19 points on the night and shot 4-9 from the floor and 3-6 from beyond the arc. Egun averages 11.5 points per game.
“They’re a good team,” graduate student Kaleb Hammeke said. “They’re well coached so we’ll be ready to go get some recovery this weekend and we’ll be ready to go.”
The primary scorer for the Rangers is the 6-foot-4 junior Chase Mayo Harmon who averages 14.5 points per game. Mayo Harmon scored 10 against the Lopers Friday night.
Defensively, the Rangers give up 77.5 points per game, less than they score at 73.6. The Tigers on the other hand hold their opponents to just 62.8 points per game and score 72.5 points per game.
With the Tigers ranked as the 18th-best defense in the country, the Rangers will have to find a way to produce points against a defense that guards both the perimeter and interior on a very high level.
“On paper and record-wise, MSU Denver is the better team,” said FHSU Head Coach Mark Johnson, “but Regis’ play will give us more problems. They spread you out five wide. They’re small and play a lot of guards. We’re a little bit bigger and not as quick on the perimeter at times, so Regis is not going to be a great matchup for our style of play. That said, we’re going to have to come out and play well and do what we did [against MSU Denver] as far as an effort and toughness standpoint.”
FHSU and Regis will tip off at 2 p.m. today in Gross Memorial Coliseum. Tiger Media Network will provide coverage of the game on the MIAA Network.