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The Fort Hays State men's basketball team begins at three-game homestand on Saturday (Jan. 29) when it hosts Northwest Missouri State at Gross Memorial Coliseum. Game time is set for 4 pm. The Tigers are 17-2 overall and tied for first in the MIAA standings at 11-2.

Fort Hays State is coming off a road swing where it went 2-0 and won both games by more than 20 points. The Tigers are currently on a four-game win streak and are tied once again with Missouri Southern atop the MIAA standings after the Lions fell at Central Missouri Wednesday night.

The Tigers are fifth in the first set of South Central Region rankings, released on Wednesday (Jan. 26) afternoon, despite being the highest nationally ranked team in the region. Missouri Southern was the top team in the rankings, but that could easily change now that the Lions have two losses on their resume. All of the top five teams in the region rankings have just two losses overall, so the race in which team hosts the regional at the end of the year should be thrilling down the stretch.

Fort Hays State defeated Northwest Missouri State (4-13, 2-11 MIAA) earlier this year in Maryville 71-68, thanks to a 3-point field goal by Corbin Kuntzsch in the final seconds to break a tie. The Tigers led by as many as 17 in the second half of that game, but the Bearcats chipped away to make the game a nailbiter at the end. Kuntzsch led FHSU in scoring in that game with 18, followed by Karron McKenzie with 16 and Dominique Jones with 14.

Dominique Jones leads the Tigers in scoring at 17.4 points per game. He leads the team and MIAA in assists per game (5.8). He reached at least 20 points in a game five times this year, including a 25-point performance at Nebraska-Omaha this past Wednesday.

Dijon Smith continues to rank second on the team in scoring at 14.4 points per game. He scored a career-high 25 points at Nebraska-Omaha on Wednesday. He is second in the MIAA in field goal percentage (.657). He leads the MIAA in blocked shots per game (1.6).

Ken Bowman complements Smith in the post by averaging 11.4 points per game (third-best on the team). He is second on the team in field goal percentage (.641) and is tied for the team lead in rebounds, averaging 6.2 per game. He averages 1.3 blocked shots per game. He had a season-high 21 points in the last home game for FHSU against Emporia State on January 19.

Corbin Kuntzsch continues to move up the all-time scoring list at FHSU, now with 1,064 points. He is alone in 14th and 71 points from the next step on the list. He is averaging 10.8 points per game. Kuntzsch had his third double-double of the year at Nebraska-Omaha with 10 points and 10 rebounds. The 10 rebounds matched his season high.

Moses Dayee continues to be the top 3-point threat for FHSU, now with 42 field goals beyond the arc this year. He is shooting 41.6 percent from deep and averages 9.1 points per game. He scored in double figures in each of the last three games.

Karron McKenzie is the MIAA leader in free-throw shooting at 86.8 percent (46-of-53). He ranks sixth on the team in scoring at 7.9 points per game.

Ben Congiusta is giving the Tigers added punch from beyond the 3-point line. Over the last seven games, he is shooting 48 percent from 3-point range (12-of-25). He is averaging 6.2 points per game.

Matt Simmons is tied for the team lead in rebounds at 6.2 per game with Ken Bowman. He is averaging 4.3 points per game in the post, backing up Smith and Bowman.

DeShaun Cooper is the top scorer for Northwest Missouri State at 15.4 points per game, followed by Elijah Allen at 14.4 per game. Allen was the top scorer for the Bearcats in the first match-up with the Tigers this year, going for 25 points and 13 rebounds. Cooper had 12 in that game.