The two most distant MIAA schools by mileage will meet on Wednesday night, as the Truman men’s basketball team heads to the plains of western Kansas for a 7:30 pm tipoff on the campus of Fort Hays (Kan.) State University.
With five games to play in the 2011-12 MIAA regular season, it will be an all-out sprint for the eighth and final spot in the conference tournament between the Bulldogs, Emporia State, Lincoln and Missouri Western.
Currently, the ESU Hornets hold the final spot at 4-10 in league play, with Truman (4-11), Lincoln (3-11) and MoWest (2-13) all clamoring to crack the eight-team field.
The Bulldogs (6-16 overall) will be out to snap a sweep last week that saw the squad average just 47 points in two games.
Truman scored 45 in a 21-point home loss to Washburn on Feb. 1 before scoring just 49 in a 19-point loss at Southwest Baptist on Saturday.
However, the ‘Dogs have kept the defensive pressure up, holding each of the past three opponents to 70 points or less.
FHSU (14-6, 8-6 MIAA) will try to punch its ticket to Kansas City on Wednesday night as, with a win, the Tigers will wrap up a postseason berth.
After a three-game stumble in early January, the Tigers have won four of their last six, despite a 79-67 loss at Washburn on Saturday.
Earlier this season, the then-9th ranked Tigers held off the Bulldogs 63-58 on Jan. 2 in Pershing Arena.
Truman was paced by 23 points from freshman Seth Jackson and 16 from junior EJ Hicks in a game that saw the Bulldogs shoot just 31% from the floor.
Truman led by as five in the first half and crept to within four with three minutes to play but could not draw even before falling by five.
Fort Hays has won the last eight matches in the series to build a 10-3 all-time.
Truman’s last win in the series came in Hays on Jan. 9, 2008 in a 60-48 victory.
Truman has lost three straight road games, while FHSU is 8-3 (3-3 MIAA) at home this season.
Scouting the Tigers:
Fort Hays State (14-6. 8-6 MIAA) comes into Wednesday night sitting fifth in the MIAA, 1.5 games back of fourth-place Missouri Southern and a half-game ahead of both Pittsburg State and Southwest Baptist.
The Tigers need a win on Wednesday night against Truman to clinch an MIAA postseason berth.
The Tigers are scoring nearly 70 points per game behind four players in double-figures. Karron McKenzie, after scoring 12 points in the teams’ earlier meeting in Pershing Arena, leads the Tigers at 11.2 ppg, while three others fall in the ten point range.
As a team, FHSU is shooting 45% from the floor, 35% from three-point range and 70% from the free throw line.
Mark Johnson is in his 11th season at the school, having posted a career mark of 221-95.
Up Next:
The Bulldogs will be idle for four nights before returning to action on Monday, Feb. 13 for a nonconference tilt with Hannibal-LaGrange (Mo.).
Tipoff from Pershing Arena is set for 7:00 pm.
Courtesy Truman State University
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