FORT SMITH, Ark. – University of Arkansas – Fort Smith Men's Basketball heads back on the road this weekend, as the Lions travel to UT Tyler Friday and Saturday for a pair of Lone Star Conference matchups.
Tipoff for Friday's game is set for 5 p.m., with Saturday's tip scheduled for 3 p.m. Both games can be seen on the Lone Star Conference Digital Network with live stats available on uafortsmithlions.com. UT Tyler is allowing fans at a 50 percent capacity.
NOTES:
LAST WEEK: The Lions took on unbeaten and then No. 7/10 Lubbock Christian at the Stubblefield Center, but dropped a pair of close games to the Chaps, 76-72 and 59-49.
AMONG THE LSC: Freshman guard Payton Brown, senior forward Chris Rollins and senior guard Matthew Wilson are all among the top-20 in scoring in the LSC. Rollins is also fourth in rebounding and first in field goal percentage. Brown and Wilson are both top-five in free throw percentage, as well. Sophomore guard Evan Anderson is 11th in assists at 3.5 per game and fourth in assist-to-turnover ratio.
NEXT MAN UP: With a young roster, many freshmen have earned valuable experience for the Lions this season. Against Oklahoma Christian, freshman forward Justus Cooper snagged 13 boards. More recently, freshman forward Dalton Gayman scored seven points and collected 11 boards and three steals in his first extended minutes against Lubbock Christian Saturday.
SUFFOCATING DEFENSE: Twice during Saturday's matchup against LCU, the Lions defense held the Chaps scoreless for over seven minutes, once during each half.
RECORD WATCH: Senior guard Matthew Wilson is currently 6th on the all-time list for three pointers made, as he how has 102 career makes at UAFS. DeVaunta Thomas is 5th with 137. Senior forward Chris Rollins is currently shooting 64.4 percent from the field, on pace to beat Bo Franklin's record of 62.0 percent in 2013-14.
SCOUTING UTT: The Patriots are 4-9, 3-9 LSC after a weekend sweep over Cameron. However, they are just 1-5 at home this season. Four Patriots average double figures, led by senior guard Micah Fuller at 14.5 points per game. Senior guard Emanuel Gant leads UTT with 8.9 boards per game while also averaging 10.7 points.
THE SERIES: UAFS won both meetings with UT Tyler last season, as the Patriots are only in their second year in NCAA II in 2020-21 after making the jump from NCAA III.
