FHSU Athletics
No. 24/RV Fort Hays State (16-4, 11-3 MIAA)
at No. 16/11 Northwest Missouri State (16-4, 12-2 MIAA)
Saturday, February 3, 2024 • 3:30 p.m.
Maryville, Mo. • Bearcat Arena
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: The MIAA Network CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
The stage is set for a battle between the top two teams in the MIAA on Saturday when Northwest Missouri State plays host to Fort Hays State in Maryville at 3:30 p.m. Both teams enter at 16-4 overall with the Bearcats at 12-2 in MIAA play and the Tigers at 11-3. Northwest Missouri State is ranked No. 16 in the NABC Top 25 and No. 11 in the D2CSC Top 25, while FHSU is No. 24 in the NABC poll and receiving votes in the D2CSC poll.
This game will pit the top two scoring defenses in NCAA Division II against each other. FHSU leads the nation at 57.5 points per game allowed, while the Bearcats are allowing 59.2 per game.
Fort Hays State took the first meeting between these teams this season in Hays on December 7 by a score of 57-49. R.J. Crawford led three Tigers in double figures with 16 points, followed by Kaleb Hammeke and Elijah Nnanabu each with 13. The Tigers snapped a long 16-game losing streak to the Bearcats with the win, which dated all the way back to the 2012-13 season. The Tigers will be in search of their first win in Maryville since that same season when they won by four, and it was the last time the Tigers swept the regular season MIAA series with the Bearcats as well.
NMSU has won the last seven meetings between the teams in Maryville going back to that 2012-13 season, which was the last season NMSU did not win the MIAA regular season title as their streak now stands at 10 seasons in a row. NMSU has only shared the regular season title twice in that 10-year run. FHSU and Central Missouri tied for the regular season crown the last time NMSU did not sit atop the MIAA standings by season's end.
Fort Hays State is 12-11 all-time in matchups between NABC Top 25 teams. The Tigers are looking to snap a four-game skid in NABC Top 25 matchups that goes back to the 2010-11 season. FHSU's last win over an NABC ranked team while being ranked as well was a 75-49 win over West Texas A&M in the 2011 NCAA Tournament. FHSU was No. 13 and WTAMU was No. 23 in that matchup. Northwest Missouri State has been the opponent each of the last two times in Top 25 matchups (both during the 2021-22 season), so Saturday's game will make it three in a row.
Fort Hays State is coming off a 55-40 win over Missouri Western on Thursday evening, sweeping the MIAA regular season series with MWSU. The Tigers ran their current win streak to four with the result. Nnanabu led the Tigers with 15 points, followed by Hammeke with 10. The 40 points was a season-low by a Tiger opponent in MIAA play this season. FHSU has now held opponents inside 50 points eight times this season.
Northwest Missouri State is coming off a 105-53 blowout win over Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday evening in Maryville. The Bearcats are on a five-game win streak. Wes Dreamer leads the Bearcats at 18.3 points per game, while Bennett Stirtz adds 14.5 per game.
Northwest Missouri State owns a 24-game win streak at home in regular season contests, which goes back to the 2021-22 season. The Bearcats got beat on their home floor in the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament Central Regional last year, but their last loss at home in the regular season was by one point to Emporia State back on February 21, 2022. Since the start of the 2018-19 season, Northwest Missouri State has lost only three regular season games at home by a combined four points. Washburn accounted for two of those three losses. NMSU is 74-3 in home regular season games since the start of the 2018-19 season, the three losses all against Kansas schools in the MIAA.
Hammeke leads the Tigers in scoring, rebounds, and assists. He is averaging 15.3 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists per game. He is just five assists shy of 400 for his career, looking to become the fourth FHSU player in history with at least 1,400 points and 400 assists. With 1,442 career points, Hammeke is just seven points shy of Craig Nicholson for seventh on the all-time scoring list at FHSU. He is currently fifth on the all-time assists list.
With the win over Missouri Western on Thursday night, Mark Johnson moved up the MIAA coaching wins lists. He now has 338 wins since FHSU joined the MIAA in 2006-07, passing former Central Missouri and Pittsburg State coach Kim Anderson for seventh in career wins with an MIAA school. He also moved up to fifth for wins in conference regular season games, now with 214, passing former Northwest Missouri State coach Steve Tappmeyer.