Kearney, Neb. - The Nebraska-Kearney men's basketball team heads to Gross Memorial Coliseum Saturday afternoon for a date with the Fort Hays State Tigers.

The game tips around 4:00 p.m. Hays (14-6, 8-4), coming off a buzzer beating upset win over NW Missouri State on Wednesday night, has won five straight over UNK (6-14, 3-9).

This will be the 117th meeting between the two programs with the Tigers holding a healthy 73-43 lead. Kearney's last win in Hays was a memorable one; a 70-66 decision in February 2006 when FHSU was No. 1 in the country and playing its final RMAC game.

This Tiger team lost eight of its top nine scorers off last season's 19-9 squad. The lone veteran returner was 6-5 senior guard Lance Russell (14.6 ppg), who hit the game winning three against Northwest.

A deep and balanced unit also features 6-7, 220 lbs. junior forward Dwayne Brunson (14.8 points & 7.9 rebounds pg) and Division I transfers Ben Congiusta (13.2 ppg) and Rundell Mauge (4.4 points & 5.2 rebounds pg).

Mague, from Trinidad & Tobago, comes in at 7-0 and 270 lbs. with Congiusta a gunner, entering the week 51 of 120 (40.3%) from triple land.

Hays ranks second in the MIAA in scoring (76.8) as it shoots 74.9% at the line and 39.2% from down town. The Tigers also have a healthy + 2.5 turnover margin.

UNK is 3-8 on the road this season but the mark could easily be 5-6, had it not been for last second, one point losses at Truman State and SW Baptist.

Heading into the week, senior wing Jon Henderson (Salt Lake City, Utah) ranks No. 1 in the MIAA in free throw shooting (88.5%/54 of 61) while being second in minutes per game (34.8) and 10th in scoring (15.3).

Junior post Mike Dentlinger (Millard North), who had 18 points in last week's win over Emporia State, needs just 54 more points to reach 1,000 for his career. He'll be the 40th Loper to join that exclusive club

In a very odd scheduling twist, UNK's next game is always against Hays; February 16th at 4:00 p.m. in the Health & Sports Center.