FHSU Athletics
Bethel College (7-6, 3-4 KCAC) at
Fort Hays State (5-3, 1-1 MIAA)
Monday, December 16 • 7 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
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Fort Hays State is back at home for three games in seven days, starting with Bethel College on Monday night. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers are coming off a road non-conference win at William Jewell on Saturday, while the Threshers are coming off a loss in conference play on Saturday evening. FHSU enters at 5-3 overall, while Bethel is 7-6 overall.
Fort Hays State made a big second-half rally at William Jewell on Saturday for a four-point win. The Tigers were down 12 at halftime, got past the Cardinals midway in the second half, and then held on late for the win. The Tigers had five players score in double figures, led by Kaleb Hammeke with 11. Hammeke had the final seven points of the game for FHSU.
The Tigers have won 17 games in a row against Bethel and hold an all-time record of 17-2 against the Threshers. Bethel won the first two meetings ever all the way back in 1925-26. FHSU defeated Bethel by a score of 73-48 last year in Hays. The Tigers are 10-0 against the Threshers under Mark Johnson.
Hammeke leads the Tigers in scoring at 14.1 points per game and assists at 4.4 per game. Kyle Grill (13.4) and Shaun Riley (12.6) also average double figures in scoring. Riley is the team leader in rebounds at 7.1 per game.
The Tigers have the lowest turnovers per game average in the MIAA at 9.4 and own the conference's best assist/turnover ratio at 1.41. The Tigers have committed less than 10 turnovers in five of eight games this season, including a season-low five in their win at William Jewell on Saturday. FHSU has the second-best 3-point field goal percentage in the MIAA at 39 percent.
Bethel has four players averaging double figures in scoring this season, led by Carmelo Yakubu at 14.8 points per game. He is also the team leader in rebounds at 7.6 per game.