The 25th-ranked Fort Hays State men's basketball team hosts Oklahoma-Panhandle State on Saturday (Nov. 23) at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. Tipoff is set for 4 pm. Fort Hays State is looking for its fifth straight win, entering the game at 4-0 overall. OPSU enters at 0-4.
The Tigers are coming off a 96-87 win in their home opener against Newman this past Tuesday. FHSU has played an full Division II schedule so far with four in-region wins to begin the year, two over teams that made the NCAA Tournament last year (Upper Iowa and Newman).
FHSU defeated Panhandle State by a score of 87-80 last year in Goodwell, Okla. The Aggies return three of the four players that scored in double figures last year against FHSU. OPSU has also played an all-Division II schedule to begin the year, but has three losses to Lone Star Conference opponents and one to a Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference opponent. The Aggies lost by just seven this past Tuesday to a solid West Texas A&M.
Dwayne Brunson leads the Tigers at 20.5 points and 10.8 rebounds per game. He has posted a double-double in points and rebounds in each of the last three games, scoring 80 points and pulling down 40 rebounds in that three-game span.
Craig Nicholson has reached double figures in scoring in all four games so far and is averaging 17.8 points per game. He is also nearly averaging a double-double, leading the team at 9.8 assists per game. He had a career-high 15 assists in the win over Newman.
Tomislav Gabric has two double-doubles in points and rebounds this year and
Carson Konrade continues to shot the 3-point shot at a high rate of 53.3 percent (16-of-30). Konrade averages 15.3 points per game, while Gabric averages 14.0.
