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The FHSU men's basketball team opens the 2011-12 season at Nebraska-Kearney on Sunday (Nov. 13). Tip off is set for 3 pm at the Health and Sports Center in Kearney, Neb. Fort Hays State brings a four-game winning streak against UNK into the game which dates back to the 2007-08 season.

The Tigers are fresh off a pair of exhibition games at NCAA Division I Kansas State and Kansas this past week. The Tigers have just two players (Matt Simmons and Karron McKenzie) from their regular 8-man rotation last year returning during the first semester, so five new transfers and a handful of returners that did not see much action last year will be looking to shoulder the load.

Fort Hays State will be looking for someone to step up and hit shots on the perimeter with the absence of seniors Moses Dayee and Ben Congiusta. The pair combined to make 119 3-point field goals last year. Dayee will not join the team until January as he has just one semester of eligibility left, and Congiusta is out for the season after shoulder surgery.

Markus Yarbrough looks to give the Tigers a scoring presence in the post after scoring in double figures in both exhibition games last week. He had 11 against Kansas State and 10 against Kansas. Tyrone Phillips showed his ability to catch fire quickly on offense, scoring a team-high 16 points at Kansas State all in the second half. He averaged 12.0 points per game in exhibition play.

Lance Russell returns this year healthy after battling injuries all throughout last year. He played in just two games in 2010-11, but had his junior year reinstated by the NCAA through medical hardship. Russell scored in double figures in both exhibitions with 12 at Kansas State and 11 at Kansas.

This will be the only non-conference game on the road for FHSU before returning home for their final five non-conference games in November.