Fort Hays State (15-6, 7-5 MIAA) at
Northeastern State (11-9, 4-7 MIAA)
Thursday, February 5 – 7:30 p.m.
Tahlequah, Okla. – NSU Event Center
 
Fort Hays State will be on the road for a pair of games this week, starting on Thursday night (Feb. 5) at Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Okla. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at the NSU Event Center. The Tigers, receiving votes in the NABC Division II national poll, enter at 15-6 overall and 7-5 in the MIAA, while the RiverHawks are 11-9 overall and 4-7 in the MIAA.
 
The Tigers look to push their way back up into the MIAA standings after a pair of tough losses last week to No. 1 ranked Washburn and Central Missouri. FHSU had a five-game win streak going until the pair of losses. They have won three away games in a row going into Thursday night's contest.
 
Northeastern State also comes into the game on a two-game losing skid after dropping contests at Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern last week. NSU is 2-3 in home MIAA contests this season and scored over 100 points in both of the wins.
 
Fort Hays State owns an eight-game win streak in the series with Northeastern State, which dates back to the 2019-20 season. The Tigers have won the last three meetings with the RiverHawks in Tahlequah. NSU's last win in the all-time series was in Tahlequah back during the 2019-20 season. In the eight-game win streak for FHSU, the Tigers have held the RiverHawks to less than 60 points five times.
 
This game will pit one of the top scoring offenses in the MIAA against the best scoring defense. Northeastern State averages 86.1 points per game, but Fort Hays State allows just 61 points per game. Northeastern State was held under 70 points just twice this season with 60 as the season low at Arkansas Tech back in November. FHSU ranks fourth nationally in scoring defense.
 
Dan Mukuna leads FHSU at 18.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game. He has scored in double figures in 12-straight games. Kyle Grill adds 13 points per game, while Jahvari Martino averages 11.4 per game.
 
Xavier Glenn leads NSU in scoring at 19.1 points per game, while shooting 45 percent from beyond the 3-point line. Ethan Blackmon (13.7), Nehemiah Weber (11.9), and A.J. Reed Jr. (11.3) also average double figures in scoring. Blackmon pulls down 8.0 rebounds per game.