FORT SMITH, Ark. – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Men's Basketball heads on the road for just the third time this season, concluding the first half of the year at UT Tyler and Texas A&M – Commerce.
The Lions will visit UT Tyler Thursday at 7:30 p.m. before taking on A&M – Commerce next Monday afternoon at 4 p.m.
Both games can be seen on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network with live stats available at uafortsmithlions.com.
NOTES:
LAST WEEK: UAFS came up one point shy yet again, falling 63-62 to Midwestern State last Friday.
LEAGUE LEADER: Guard Matthew Wilson leads the Lone Star Conference in scoring at 21.3 points per game. He is the only player in the league averaging more than 20 points per game. He also leads the league with 3.9 made threes per game.
HELPING HAND: Guard Evan Anderson is fourth in the LSC with 5.0 assists per game and second in assists/turnover ratio at 4.1.
SLIMMEST OF MARGINS: The one-point loss to Midwestern State was the third game this season that had been decided by just a single point. UAFS is 1-2 in those games.
DEFENSIVE BATTLE: Thursday's matchup between the Patriots and Lions will feature two of the top four defenses in the LSC. UT Tyler is third allowing 59.0 points per game, while UAFS is fourth at 60.3 points per game. The teams have the top two defenses on opponent's three-point percentage this year.
RECORD WATCH: Senior guard Matthew Wilson sits 7th with 920 points at UAFS. Wilson also is 7th in field goals made (327) and fourth in three-pointers made (151). Forward Chris Rollins is 9th in rebounds with 333. Guard Evan Anderson is 7th in assists with 169.
THE SERIES: UAFS is 2-2 all-time against UT Tyler. The Lions won the first two meetings with the Patriots winning both games last season. UAFS is 3-4 versus Texas A&M-Commerce, alternating wins and losses in all seven meetings.
SCOUTING UTT: The Patriots are 7-0 behind the highest scoring offense in the LSC at 85.4 points per game. Forward Eysan Wiley leads the league with a 70.0 field goal percentage and averages a team-high 12.9 points per game. Wiley also averages 5.6 boards per contest.
SCOUTING A&M-C: The Lions started the year 6-0 before dropping its last game to Seattle Pacific. Guard Jairus Roberson leads four Lions averaging double figures with 15.1 points per game. Forward Demarcus Demonia is second at 12.4 points per game and leads the team in rebounding at 7.3 per game.
