Game Notes I Watch Live I Listen Live I Live Stats
The Fort Hays State men's basketball team, ranked No. 12 in NCAA Division II, hits the road for a key two-game road stretch over three days. The Tigers play at Truman on Thursday night in Kirksville, Mo., at 7:30 pm. They bring a record of 19-3 overall and 13-3 in the MIAA into the game. Truman enters at 6-13 overall and 4-11 in the MIAA.
The Tigers are just a game back of Missouri Southern in the MIAA standings. The Tigers still have four road games remaining to just two home games. The next three games will be crucial for the Tigers to keep the pressure on MSSU at the top of the conference before the teams meet in Fort Hays State's final home game of the season on Saturday, February 19.
The Tigers are not only in position for a run at the conference regular season title, they are also right in the thick of the race to host the South Central Regional. Fort Hays State moved up to No. 3 in the region rankings this week after Incarnate Word suffered its fourth loss of the season this past Saturday. The Tigers are just a game back in the loss column to both Central Oklahoma and Missouri Southern, which rank No. 1 and No. 2 in the region.
Fort Hays State claimed the first meeting with Truman this season by a score of 84-57 in Hays on January 3. Dominique Jones led the Tigers with 23 points in that game, followed by Ken Bowman with 16.
Jones continues to lead the Tigers in scoring at 17.5 points per game, fresh off his second double-double performance of the season with 28 points and 11 assists against Washburn. He leads the MIAA in assists per game (6.5) and ranks fourth nationally. He averaged 12 assists over the last two contests. Jones leads the team in 3-point field goals with 49, shooting just under 40 percent from beyond the arc for the season.
The efficient post combo of Dijon Smith and Ken Bowman rank second and third on the team in scoring. Smith is averaging 14.4 points per game, while Bowman averages 11.7. Each are shooting over 64 percent from the field. The pair also ranks first and second in the MIAA in blocked shots per game, with Smith at 1.6 and Bowman at 1.2.
Corbin Kuntzsch continues his ascent up the all-time scoring list at FHSU, now with 1,092 points. He had a complete all-around performance against Washburn this past Saturday with 14 points, eight rebounds and six assists. The six assists tied his career high. Kuntzsch is the team leader in 3-point field goal percentage (.453).
Moses Dayee is the top scorer off the bench for FHSU at 8.5 points per game, followed by Karron McKenzie at 7.5 points per game. Dayee ranks second on the team in 3-point field goals with 47, while shooting 40.9 percent beyond the arc. McKenzie is the team leader in free-throw percentage at .850, hitting 51-of-60 attempts this year.
Ben Congiusta has been solid from 3-point range in the last nine games, shooting 48.7 percent (19-of-39) beyond the arc over the last nine games. He averages 6.3 points per game and has started every contest.
Matt Simmons continues to be the top Tiger cleaning the glass, averaging 6.5 rebounds per game. He has contributed considerably on offense lately, averaging 12.5 points and 9.5 rebounds over the last two games.
