Lincoln (15-5, 11-5 MIAA) at
Fort Hays State (15-8, 10-7 MIAA)
Thursday, February 9 – 7:30 p.m.
Hays, Kan. – Gross Memorial Coliseum

Game Sponsor: Domino's Pizza
National Anthem: Plainville Band/Drumline
Promotions: FHSU Student Night - FHSU students in attendance have the chance to win some great prizes!
Halftime: FHSU Cheer Team performance (women's game) / Plainville Drumline (men's game)
 
Fort Hays State Men's Basketball hosts Lincoln University on Thursday night at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. FHSU is seeking a season sweep of Lincoln after winning the first meeting 66-53 in Jefferson City back on January 2. Lincoln enters the contest at 15-5 overall, currently in third place in the MIAA at 11-5, while Fort Hays State is 15-8 overall and tied for fifth in the MIAA at 10-7.
 
Lincoln has moved up in the conference standings by winning eight of its last nine games. The only loss in that stretch was to top-10 nationally ranked Northwest Missouri State. The Blue Tigers enter this game on a four-game win streak with a road win at Missouri Southern followed by home wins over Central Missouri, Missouri Southern, and Pittsburg State.
 
Since its win at Lincoln on January 2, Fort Hays State has gone 5-5 since. The Tigers have gone 1-1 every week ever since the road sweep at Central Missouri and Lincoln on December 31 and January 2. The Tigers are 10-3 at home so far this season, including a 6-3 mark in conference games at home. Fort Hays State is coming off a 66-51 loss at No. 6 ranked Central Oklahoma this past Saturday, which followed a 71-62 win at Newman.
 
Kaleb Hammeke leads the Tigers in scoring and assists. He averages 15.9 points and 3.7 helpers per contest. Elijah Nnanabu also averages double figures in scoring at 10.2 points per game. Gabe Pieschl leads the team in rebounding, averaging 5.8 per game. Bjarni Jonsson continues to shoot over 50 percent beyond the 3-point line this season at 51.8 and ranks third on the team in scoring at 8.7 points per game.
 
Lincoln has the second-best scorer and top rebounder in the MIAA and NCAA Division II. Artese Stapleton averages 17.9 points per game to lead the Blue Tigers, just 0.4 points per game off Newman's Stevie Strong who averages 18.3 per game. Kevin Kone pulls down an NCAA Division II-best 12.8 rebounds per game and averages a double-double adding 13.2 points per game. Sai Witt also averages double figures in scoring for the Blue Tigers at 14.9 points per game and pulls down 7.8 rebounds per contest.
 
Rebounding could be a key factor in this contest as Lincoln leads the MIAA and ranks sixth in NCAA Division II in rebound margin at +9.6. The Blue Tigers average 40.1 rebounds per game, while holding opponents to 30.5 per game. FHSU is +2.1 in that category, but hold opponents to the second-lowest average in the MIAA at 30.2 per game. This game will feature two of the top 15 scoring defenses in NCAA Division II. FHSU ranks third by holding opponents to 58.1 points per game and Lincoln 15^th at 62.8 per game.