FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State (3-2, 0-0 MIAA) vs.
Central Missouri (4-3, 0-0 MIAA)
Thursday, December 5 • 7:30 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
Game Sponsor: Domino's Pizza
National Anthem: Tiger Tots
FHSU Student Night: All FHSU students in attendance have the chance to win a prize. Multiple prizes will be given out throughout the night.
Fort Hays State Men's Basketball opens conference play on Thursday night at Gross Memorial Coliseum when it plays host to Central Missouri. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. The Tigers enter at 3-2 overall, while the Mules are also playing their first conference contest of the season and hold an overall record of 4-3.
The Tigers are currently riding a three-game win streak, all in home games played over the last two weeks. It started with a win over South Dakota Mines and was followed last week by wins over Central Christian and Manhattan Christian. The Tigers scored over 75 points in all three games, including a season-high 95 in their most recent game.
Central Missouri has been on a consistent win-loss pattern from the start of its season. The Mules opened the year with a win, followed by a loss, and the same pattern has happened ever since with the last contest being a win against Tabor College back on Sunday. The Mules are 3-3 against NCAA Division II competition this season and this will be their second true road contest this season after dropping its first to Drury in Springfield, Mo. back on November 27.
Fort Hays State is looking to extend a seven-game win streak it holds in the series with Central Missouri, which dates back to the 2020-21 season. FHSU has won the last six meetings between the teams in Hays going back to the 2015-16 season.
Fort Hays State owns the second-best turnovers per game rate in NCAA Division II entering this game at just 7.6 per contest. National leader West Alabama holds an average of 7.2. FHSU also ranks eighth nationally and leads the MIAA in assist/turnover ratio at 2.08, one of just eight schools with a rate of 2.0 or better.
Kaleb Hammeke is just field goal away from moving to second on the all-time scoring list at FHSU. He enters Thursday with 1,630 points, just one shy of Mark Wilson's 1,631 produced from 1978-81. Hammeke sits just 136 points shy of the all-time record at FHSU of 1,766 set by Alonzo Goldston from 1994-97. Hammeke recently joined Mark Wilson and Raymond Lee as the only three Tigers in history to have at least 1,600 points and 400 assists. Hammeke is fourth on the all-time assists list.
Hammeke is among a trio of Tigers averaging at least 14 points per game. Shaun Riley leads the team in scoring average at 14.5 points per game, followed by Hammeke at 14.2 and Kyle Grill at 14.0. Riley is the team leader in rebounding at 7.0 per game, while Hammeke leads the team in assists at 5.0 per game.
Central Missouri has a pair of players averaging double figures in scoring, which includes DeAirius Barker at 14.9 points per game and Tim Jordan, Jr. at 13.6 per game. The Mules have six players averaging at least 6.0 points per game.