FHSU Athletics
#3 seed Fort Hays State (21-8) vs.
#2 seed #12/14 Central Oklahoma (25-4)
Saturday, March 4 - 2:15 p.m.
Kansas City, Mo. - Municipal Auditorium
Radio - KJLS (103.3)
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The No. 3 seeded Fort Hays State men's basketball team will take on No. 2 seed Central Oklahoma in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals on Saturday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. Tipoff is set for 2:15 p.m. The Tigers carry a record of 21-8 into the contest, while the Bronchos are ranked No. 12/14 in the nation and have a record of 25-4.
The Tigers are looking to snap a string of four straight losses to the Bronchos. UCO swept the regular season series between the teams in both this season and last season. The Tigers are also looking to snap a string of five straight losses in MIAA Tournament Semifinal games. The last time the Tigers won a semifinal game was in 2011, the year they won the tournament.
The Tigers are coming off a 73-56 win over Rogers State in the quarterfinals on Friday. It was the first MIAA Tournament meeting between the schools and FHSU evened up the all-time series at 4-4. Elijah Nnanabu led the Tigers with 18 points, followed by Bjarni Jonsson with 17, Kaleb Hammeke with 16, and Gilbert Peters with 15. Jonsson tied his career high in points, while Peters tied his season high.
The Tigers have now won 20 or more games 11 times under Mark Johnson, now holding an all-time record of 428-211.
The last time Fort Hays State and Central Oklahoma met in the MIAA Tournament was in 2016 in the quarterfinals. The Tigers took that meeting by a score of 67-61. FHSU and Central Oklahoma have never met in the semifinal round. FHSU is 1-1 against UCO in the MIAA Tournament all-time.
The Tigers are seeking their second win over an NABC Top 25 ranked opponent this season. FHSU defeated a No. 24 ranked Emporia State team back on January 22 in Emporia.