FORT SMITH, Ark. – No. 25 University of Arkansas - Fort Smith Men's Basketball will look to break away from the pack in the MIAA standings as the Lions host Nebraska-Kearney and Fort Hays State at the Stubblefield Center this week.
The Lions and Lopers will square off at 7:30 p.m. Thursday before the Lions and Tigers battle at 3 p.m. Saturday. Both games will be streamed on the MIAA Network and broadcast on Fox Sports Radio 103.5. Live stats will be available at uafortsmithlions.com.
NOTES:
LAST WEEK: UAFS dropped a road contest at Missouri Southern before rallying for a 12-point comeback at Pittsburg State.
TOP 25: The Lions remain in the NABC/Division II Top 25 poll at No. 25 this week.
AROUND THE NATION: UAFS ranks fourth national with 39.4 bench points per game and eighth with 28.8 defensive rebounds per game.
TRIPLE THREAT: The trio Brandon Scott, Jarren McAllister and Christian Moore combined for 40 of the 45 second-half points in the comeback win at Pitt State. That group is averaging 47.8 points per game over the last six games.
BIG MAC: Guard Jarren McAllister is leading the Lions with 18.8 points per game over his last six games. He has had four 20-point games while shooting 63.6 percent from the floor and 61.9 percent from three to go with 5.7 rebounds per game.
SCOUTING UNK: The Lopers are 10-13, 3-9 MIAA but have dropped three games in a row and are 2-6 on the road. UNK is last in scoring defense at 83.1 points per game while first in free throw percentage at 79.2 percent. Guard Ja'Bryant Hill is eight in the league in scoring at 17.0 points per game.
SCOUTING FHSU: The Tigers are 15-6, 7-5 MIAA and lead the league in scoring defense at 61.0 points per game. Forward Dan Makuna paces the Tigers with 18.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game.
THE SERIES: UAFS is 2-0 against Nebraska-Kearney and 0-1 versus Fort Hays State. This will be the first meeting in Fort Smith between the Lions and Tigers.
