Fort Hays State looks to bounce back from a loss on Thursday when it faces MIAA-leading Northwest Missouri State on Saturday (Jan. 23) in Maryville. FHSU enters at 13-5 overall, 7-5 in the MIAA while NWMSU enters at 12-5 overall, 9-3 in the MIAA.
The Tigers took a 74-68 loss at Missouri Western on Thursday night, a team that entered with only five wins on the season. The loss snapped a brief two-game win streak and the Tigers will look to snap a three-game losing streak on the road on Saturday.
Northwest Missouri State took sole possession of first place on Thursday night with a win over Nebraska-Kearney and a Lindenwood loss to Pittsburg State. The Bearcats enter Saturday on a two-game win streak. Point guard Justin Pitts is the top scorer and distributor for the Bearcats, averaging 21.4 points and 4.9 assists per game.
Rob Davis had another strong shooting performance on Thursday, going 7-of-10 from the field for 17 points at Missouri Western. He leads the Tigers in scoring at 17.8 points per game. Dom Samac averages 16.2 and a team-best 7.4 rebounds per game. Jake Stoppel adds 10.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.
Craig Nicholson moved into a tie for eighth on the all-time scoring list at FHSU with Rege Klitzke at 1,281 points. He is only 10 points shy of seventh, held by Barton Snow with 1,291 points. Nicholson averages 10.6 points and 4.4 assists per game.
The Tigers will be looking to snap a three-game losing streak to the Bearcats. The last win for FHSU over NWMSU occurred during the 2012-13 season.