FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State (11-4, 6-3 MIAA) at
Missouri Western (7-6, 3-4 MIAA)
Tuesday, January 10 - 4 PM
St. Joseph, Mo. - MWSU Fieldhouse
Radio - KJLS (103.3)
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Fort Hays State men's basketball returns to action on Tuesday afternoon when it travels to Missouri Western. The Tigers and Griffons will be playing their postponement from December 10, when Missouri Western was dealing with COVID-19 issues within their men's program. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at MWSU Fieldhouse. FHSU enters at 11-4 overall, 6-3 MIAA, while MWSU is 7-6 overall, 3-4 MIAA.
The Tigers are coming off an 83-55 win over Pittsburg State on Saturday in Hays. The Tigers used an 18-0 run at the end of the first half to take a 15-point halftime lead, then extended the total run to 20-0 with the first basket of the second half. The Tigers led by double digits the rest of the way and ended the game on a 7-0 run to push the final margin of victory out to 28. Bjarni Jonsson and Gabe Pieschl led the Tiger scoring effort with 15 points each.
FHSU has won consecutive games against MWSU, claiming both meetings last season. FHSU won 76-71 in St. Joseph and 56-42 in Hays. The Tigers own a 36-18 advantage in the all-time series with the Griffons, which dates back to the 1976-77 season.
Kaleb Hammeke continues to lead the Tigers in scoring at 16 points per game. He scored in double figures of both contests against the Griffons last year. Jonsson reached double figures in the meeting in St. Joseph. Pieschl is the team leader in rebounding this season at 6.1 per game, while Hammeke leads in assists at 3.8 per game. Elijah Nnanabu, who averages 9.1 points per game for the Tigers, scored in double figures of both contests last week in Hays and has reached double figures seven times this season.
Fort Hays State leads the MIAA in free-throw percentage at 78.1 percent. The Tigers have six players shooting at least 80 percent overall at the line, led by Gilbert Peters at 87.5 percent. The Tigers have five players shooting 35 percent or better beyond the 3-point line, led by Jonsson at 48.4 percent. FHSU also has the top scoring defense in the MIAA at 57.3 points per game.
Julius Dixon leads the Griffon offense at 12.9 points per game, while shooting a strong 88.2 percent at the free-throw line. Taye Fields (11.5) and Will Eames (10.9) also average double figures in scoring for MWSU. The Griffons have dropped their last three contests, with two of the losses coming down to the final possession of the game. Missouri Western fell by one point to Rogers State and two points to Northeastern State at home, then lost at Northwest Missouri State most recently.