Men's Basketball | 1/17/2012 4:40:00 PM
HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN
Emporia State returns home to face #25 Fort Hays State. ESU is 1-1 against ranked teams so far this season. They will play five of their next seven games in the friendly confines of Whtie Auditorium. ESU is 5-2 at home this year and 3-1 against MIAA teams.
LAST TIMEOUT
ESU shot a season low .430 from the field in a 67-48 loss in the Turnpike Tussle. Washburn, who led the MIAA in turnover margin, forced 15 to ESU’s 11 and scored 18 points off them. Tola Lawal led the Hornets on the afternoon scoring 12 points and adding three assists. Chris Sights added ten points and two steals in the Hornet effort. .
THE COACHES
Shaun Vandiver is 8-7 in his first year at ESU. The former NBA round draft pick spent the last ten years as an assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level, most recently at Boise State University. As a player he led Hutchinson CC’s to the 1988 NJCAA National Championship before earning first-team All-Big 8 honors at Colorado. This is his first meeting with Fort Hays State.
Mark Johnson is 218-93 in 10 seasons at Fort Hays State. He is 7-6 in his career against the Hornets.
SCOUTING THE TIGERS
Fort Hays State is 11-4, 5-4 in the MIAA this season. They are led by Karron McKenzie who is averaging 12.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game. Matt Simmons leads the team and MIAA in rebounding averaging 9.5 rebounds per game.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be the 193rd meeting between the two teams with FHSU leading the overall series 88-84. ESU has won four of the last five meetings in White Auditorium with their only loss coming by only four points.
LAST TIME VS. FORT HAYS ST.
ESU came up just shy of making the MIAA Championship game as they fell 74-71 to Fort Hays State on March 5, 2011. ESU got 21 points from Xavier Burnette and 19 points from Robert Moores. Michael Tyler scored 14 points and eight rebounds. Adam Hotlhaus had 10 points as four Hornets finished in double figures.
UP NEXT
ESU will face play two more at home starting against Northwest Missouri on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 3:30 p.m.
