FHSU Athletics
#24/RV Fort Hays State (15-4, 10-3 MIAA) at
Missouri Western State (14-5. 8-5 MIAA)
Thursday, February 1, 2024 • 4:00 p.m.
St. Joseph, Mo. • MWSU Fieldhouse
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: The MIAA Network CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
The Fort Hays State men's basketball team starts a key road swing at Missouri Western on Thursday evening in St. Joseph. The teams are meeting for a second time this season after FHSU took the first meeting 73-49 in Hays back in December. The Tigers enter at 15-4 overall and 10-3 in the MIAA, while the Griffons are 14-5 overall and 8-5 in the MIAA.
In the first meeting between the teams, FHSU locked down defensively in the first half holding MWSU to just 16 points and built a 19-point halftime lead. With the strong defensive effort early, the Tigers cruised in the second half, seeing their lead peak at 31 points twice before the final margin settled at 24. Elijah Nnanabu led the Tigers with 17 points, followed by Shaun Riley with 15 and R.J. Crawford with 12. JaRon Thames was the only MWSU player to reach double figures with 11 points. The Griffons were ranked No. 22 in the NABC Top 25 Poll for the first meeting between the teams this season when the Tigers held them to just 32 percent shooting and forced 19 turnovers. FHSU committed just seven turnovers in that game.
Fort Hays State jumped into the NABC Top 25 this week at No. 24. It is the Tigers' first ranking in the NABC poll since March 1, 2022 during the 2021-22 season. The Tigers were among the receiving votes list for six weeks before jumping in this week. Missouri Western on the other hand, held the No. 22 ranking in the previous poll but fell out after going 0-2 on its road trip last week. The Griffons were ranked No. 22 the first time the teams met this season back in December.
FHSU now has a 38-19 advantage in the all-time series and has won the last two meetings (both in Hays). The Griffons took the last meeting between the teams in St. Joseph, winning 62-55 last season on their home floor. FHSU's last win in St. Joseph occurred during the 2021-22 season by a score of 76-71, which started a trend of FHSU winning four of the last five meetings between the teams.
The Tigers enter Thursday on a three-game winning streak, which included a road win at Nebraska-Kearney and a pair of home wins over Washburn and Emporia State. The Tigers are 6-4 in games away from Gross Memorial Coliseum this season, which includes a 4-4 record in true road contests.
Missouri Western enters Thursday on a two-game slide, falling on the road twice last week at Lincoln and Central Missouri. Prior to that, the Griffons were on a six-game winning streak. The Griffons have won their last four contests at home. They are 10-1 at home this year, with their only blemish against Washburn back on December 16 by six points.
Kaleb Hammeke continues to lead the Tigers in scoring and assists, averaging 15.5 points and 4.2 assists per game. Nnanabu and Riley are tied for the team lead in rebounds per game, both averaging 5.1. Bjarni Jonsson took over the team lead in steals with 29 after a career-high seven in the win over Emporia State this past Saturday.
Thames leads the Griffons in scoring this season at 15.4 points per game. Zion Swader, Julius Dixon, and Taye Fields also average at least 11 points per game on the season.