FHSU Athletics
#14/25 Fort Hays State (20-6, 15-5 MIAA)
vs. Missouri Southern State (13-12, 11-8 MIAA)
Saturday, February 24, 2024 • 4:00 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: The MIAA Network CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
Game Sponsor: Nex-Tech
National Anthem: Brent and Ginger Williams
Women's Halftime: Gross Memorial Coliseum 50th anniversary celebration
Men's Halftime: Gross Memorial Coliseum 50th anniversary celebration, 1984 MBB championship recognition
Fort Hays State Men's Basketball looks to bounce back from its first home loss of the season on Saturday afternoon when it plays host to Missouri Southern at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. The No. 14/25 ranked Tigers enter at 20-6 overall, 15-5 in the MIAA, while the Lions are 13-12 overall, 11-8 in the MIAA.
Fort Hays State had a four-game win streak snapped on Thursday night at the hands of Pittsburg State. The Gorillas held off a late charge from the Tigers to win by four. Elijah Nnanabu led the Tigers with 15 points, followed by Bjarni Jonsson and Traejon Davis each with 10.
Missouri Southern enters this contest on a four-game win streak. The Lions are coming off a win at Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday night. Their four-game streak began with three-straight wins at home. Missouri Southern has moved up into sixth place in the MIAA standings.
Fort Hays State won the first meeting between the teams this season by a score of 85-67 in Joplin. FHSU has won the last two games in the series, both in Joplin. MSSU won last year's meeting between the teams in Hays by a score of 68-56. Elijah Nnanabu led the Tigers with a career-high 31 points in the win in Joplin earlier this season, while Kaleb Hammeke had 22.
Hammeke continues to lead the Tigers at 13.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. Nnanabu is also averaging 5.2 rebounds per game and adds 12.7 points per game.
Darius Dawson leads Missouri Southern in scoring at 14.7 points per game. He leads four players that average double figures in scoring.