FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State (4-3, 1-1 MIAA) at
William Jewell College (4-5, 1-2 GLVC)
Saturday, December 14 • 1 p.m.
Liberty, Mo. • Mabee Center
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: GLVC Sports Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
Fort Hays State Men's Basketball returns to action on Saturday at William Jewell College in Liberty, Mo. This matchup features a pair of schools that both won at least 20 games last year and competed in the NCAA Tournament last year. The Tigers enter at 4-3 overall and 1-1 in the MIAA, while the Cardinals are 4-5 overall and 1-2 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference.
The Tigers are coming off a 71-57 loss in MIAA play to No. 3 ranked Washburn this past weekend in Hays. It was FHSU's first home loss of the season after four-straight wins. FHSU will be seeking its first win away from Hays this season after dropping a pair of games to open the season in Minnesota.
William Jewell dropped its last two games, which were road contests in GLVC play last week. The Cardinals lost at Rockhurst on December 5 and then at Southwest Baptist on December 7. William Jewell is 2-0 at home so far this season with a win over Emporia State and a conference win over Illinois-Springfield. William Jewell is facing all of the Kansas faction of the MIAA this year, holding a 1-2 record so far against the group. The Cardinals fell to Pittsburg State in Kansas City by one point back on November 15 and then by eight points at Washburn on November 23. WJC faces FHSU this weekend and then heads to Wichita to play Newman on December 17. William Jewell also has a one-point loss to Missouri Western this year, so it holds a 1-3 record against MIAA opponents so far this season.
This is Fort Hays State's first meeting with a GLVC opponent since the 2019-20 season when it met Southwest Baptist, a former MIAA member, in Kansas City at Municipal Auditorium. It is looking for its first win over a GLVC opponent since 2013-14, when it defeated Rockhurst at the Sprint Center (now T-Mobile Center) in Kansas City.
Kaleb Hammeke leads a trio of Tigers averaging double figures in scoring this year for the Tigers. Hammeke averages 14.6 points per game, while Kyle Grill averages 13.9 and Shaun Riley averages 13.0. Hammeke leads the Tigers in assists at 4.4 per game. Riley is the team leader in rebounding at 6.8 per game.
William Jewell has four players averaging double figures in scoring, led by Jordan Jermain at 18.8 per game. Jason Thirdkill, Jr. is close behind at 17.2 per game. Both have 31 free-throws made on the year to lead WJC and they have combined for half of William Jewell's 3-point field goals made for the season.
This will be the first-ever meeting between Fort Hays State and William Jewell in men's basketball.