FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State (14-7, 7-5 MIAA) vs.
Arkansas-Fort Smith (9-12, 3-9 MIAA)
Saturday, February 8 • 4 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
Game Sponsor: American Family Insurance - The Brian Ruder Agency
National Anthem: Scott County Encore Group
Promotions: Student-Athlete recognition at halftime / FHSU 20-year donor recognition / FHSU Affiliation Day
Fort Hays State returns to action at home on Saturday when it plays host to Arkansas-Fort Smith. The Lions are a new member of the MIAA this year and this will be their first-ever meeting with the Tigers. FHSU enters at 14-7 overall and 7-5 in the MIAA, while UAFS is 9-12 overall and 3-9 in the MIAA.
Fort Hays State is coming off a key 61-48 win over Northeastern State on Thursday night, which pushed the Tigers up to fourth in the MIAA standings and still just a game back of second place. It was the only meeting of the regular season between the teams. The win gave Mark Johnson his 300th win at Gross Memorial Coliseum and 465th win overall.
Arkansas-Fort Smith picked up a win at Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday evening by a score of 66-59. The Lions have won two of their last three games. They are 2-6 in true road games this season, but the win at UNK on Thursday was their first road win in MIAA play.
Fort Hays State lowered its NCAA Division II-leading scoring defense to 58.9 points allowed per game by holding Northeastern State to 48 on Thursday. NSU scored 18 points fewer than its previous season low. Ball security is also a strong suit of the Tigers as they rank second nationally in turnovers per game, averaging just 9.1. The Tigers rank seventh in NCAA Division II in field goal percentage defense, allowing a 39.4 percent success rate to the opposition.
Kaleb Hammeke leads the Tigers at 14.6 points and 4.2 assists per game. Shaun Riley leads in rebounds at 6.7 per game, while adding 10.1 points per game. Kyle Grill also averages double figures in scoring at 12.3 per game.
Terrell Williams Jr. is the only UAFS player averaging double figures in scoring at 11.8 per game. Isaiah Lewis, Elijah Wilson, and Roland McCoy all average at least nine points per game.