Fort Hays State (6-3, 2-1 MIAA) at Emporia State (5-4, 1-0 MIAA) Saturday, December 9 - 3:30 pm Emporia, Kan. - White Auditorium

Coming off their first MIAA loss of the season, the Fort Hays State men's basketball team looks to get back in the win column when it travels to long-time rival Emporia State Saturday (Dec. 9). The tip-off is set for 3:30 pm in Emporia at White Auditorium. The Tigers enter the contest sitting at 6-3 overall with a 2-1 MIAA mark, while the Hornets bring in a 5-4 overall record with a 1-0 record in conference.
 
The Tigers take on a Hornet team that claimed its first and only MIAA game of the season on Thursday (Dec. 7), a 76-69 win at home against Nebraska-Kearney. Last season, FHSU and ESU split their regular-season meetings with the away team winning each time.
 
Fort Hays State looks for its 100^th win all-time against Emporia State. FHSU has met Emporia State more times than any other school in program history and this is the 183^rd meeting in men's basketball. FHSU holds a 99-83 advantage in the all-time series.
 
Hadley Gillum continues to anchor the Tigers in the early season. The senior leads the squad in points (17.9) and rebounds (6.8) per game. Brady Werth has been a strong force for the Tigers with a team-high 18 offensive boards for the season, alongside a 10.8 points per game average and eight blocked shots. As a team, FHSU is shooting 45.5 percent from the floor and 36.4 percent from long range. They also hold a 4.1 rebounds per game advantage over their opponents.
 
Leading the scoring for the Hornets is junior Brandon Hall, a 2016-17 All-MIAA Second Team honoree. He averages a team-high 16.8 points per game along with 4.7 rebounds each contest. The senior duo of Brian Morton and Stephaun Limuel also net double-digits each game at 10.3 and 10.1 per contest. The Hornets are near even in most statistical categories with their opponents, shooting 46.1 percent from the field while holding a slight advantage overall on the boards, 299-295.