FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State (11-4, 3-3 MIAA)
at Missouri Western (12-5, 4-2 MIAA)
Thursday, January 15 • 7:30 p.m.
St. Joseph, Mo. • MWSU Fieldhouse
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
Fort Hays State plays Missouri Western for a second time this season on Thursday evening in St. Joseph. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at MWSU Fieldhouse. The Tigers enter at 11-4 overall and 3-3 in the MIAA, while the Griffons are 12-5 overall and 4-2 in the MIAA.
The first meeting between the teams this year was a thriller in Hays. Down by as many as 14 in the second half, the Tigers mounted a late rally to pull out a 2-point win in Hays. Lucas Hammeke hit a game-winning runner with four seconds remaining to create the final score of 67-65. It was Fort Hays State's fifth-straight win over the Griffons in Hays.
Missouri Western took last year's meeting on its home floor by a score of 47-44, but MWSU and FHSU have split the last four games between the schools in St. Joseph. Until the 67-65 result in Hays a couple of weeks ago, the Tigers held the Griffons to 50 points or less in five-straight meetings overall.
Fort Hays State owns a 41-20 advantage over Missouri Western in the all-time series between the schools. The Tigers have won five of the last six meetings overall.
Dan Mukuna leads FHSU at 19.1 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He is coming off a 27-point performance in FHSU's win over Emporia State last Thursday. He scored a team-high 21 against Missouri Western in the first meeting of the season. Kyle Grill adds 13.5 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Jahvari Martino also averages double figures in scoring at 11.1 points per game.
Noah King leads Missouri Western in scoring at 17.4 points per game, but the Tigers limited him to just 11 in Hays earlier this season. Marko Pavlovic, who averages 11.2 per game, led the Griffons in Hays with 16 points.
The Tigers continue to rank among the nation's best in three defensive categories. Their scoring defense of 60.0 points per game and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.259) both rank second-best nationally, while their overall field goal percentage defense (.373) ranks third. FHSU limited MWSU to a season-low 65 points in the first meeting, only the second time this year the Griffons were held under 70 points. They average 83.1 points per game for the season.