Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska Kearney basketball teams renew their long standing rivalry with Fort Hays State when the Lopers travel to Gross Memorial Coliseum Thursday night.
Tip times are 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. Check the schedule pages (
women,
men) for media links.
The Tiger women (20-1, 12-0) have had a meteoric rise through the WBCA Top 25 poll the last three weeks, going from unranked to 18th to sixth to third. The big jump came as the result of a 62-43 home win over Pittsburg State and a 65-55 road victory against Emporia State.
A National Player of the Year candidate, 6-4 senior center Kate Lehman is at 20.5 points, 10.7 rebounds and 4.4 blocks per game while shooting 61% from the field. Her presence helps Hays allow just 53.3 points per game and hold teams to 34% shooting from the field. The Tigers also force 18 turnovers on a nightly basis.
On the perimeter, Kennesaw State (Ga.) transfer and Omaha southpaw Chelsea Mason (12.5 ppg) is 48 of 147 from three point land with Dwight junior Beth Bohuslavsky at 7.5 points and a team-best 3.9 assists per game.
UNK has lost eight straight to the Tigers, dating back to a 55-54 win at Gross early in the 2008-09 season, to trail the all-time series 47-35.
To pull the upset, Kearney will have to limit its turnovers. Averaging 18.5 per game, UNK had gone a stretch of five games with just 75 turnovers (15.0 avg.) but that average has risen to 23 over the last three contests.
It would also behoove the Lopers to have a good night from long range. UNK now leads the MIAA in threes made per game (6.4), thanks to junior
Laramey Lewis (43) and freshman
McKenzie Brown (39).
On the men's side, the Tigers (13-8, 6-6) are still feeling the loss of top player Craig Nicholson (14.9 ppg). The 5-8 guard suffered a leg injury in a January 15th win over Central Oklahoma.
Weber State transfer Royce Williams (6-5, 210 lbs.) is now the leading scorer, averaging 10.5 points per night. He shoots 77% at the line and has made a team-best 43 threes.
Seven other Tigers are between 4.8-9.8 points per game, including 6-5 junior Jake Stoppel (7.4). He also pulls down a team-high 5.3 rebounds per contest. Team wise, FHSU leads the MIAA in rebounding margin (+6.1), scoring defense (64.4), field goal percentage defense (41.2%) and scoring margin (+ 13.0).
Last year, UNK lost 78-72 at Gross as Stoppel went for 18 points and eight rebounds. In the H & S Center, the Lopers won 90-83 as
Connor Beranek and
Ethan Brozek combined for 49 points. Hays still has a big lead in the all-time series, 77-46
Beranek (19.2 points & 7.5 rebounds) and Brozek (17.9 and 8.8) are in the MIAA top five in most statistical categories. That includes free throw shooting where Beranek shoots a team-best 82.2%. The Lopers have been among the top free throw shooting teams, currently at 73.3%, in the league but have struggled there of late.
In five of the last six games, UNK has shot below 70%, including a season-low 45.5% (10 of 22) vs. Pittsburg State and a 61.5% mark (8 of 13) vs. Northeastern State.
The Lopers return home Saturday to face the Washburn Ichabods. The women's game is the annual "Think Pink" event.
