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No. 10 Tigers seek 10th straight
1/11/2010
By RANDY GONZALES
rgonzales@dailynews.net
The Tigers are coming off back-to-back wins against nationally-ranked teams.
But Fort Hays State University men's basketball coach Mark Johnson knows his team can't afford a letdown in today's game against Missouri Southern State University as the Tigers seek their 10th straight victory. Tipoff is 7:30 p.m. at Gross Memorial Coliseum.
"Especially this being a home game," Johnson said of avoiding a letdown after winning at top-ranked University of Central Missouri last Monday and at home against No. 11 Southwest Baptist (Mo.) University on Saturday, 102-89.
"We're trying to compete with other teams for a conference championship -- you can't lose at home," Johnson said.
Fort Hays, ranked 10th in the nation in NCAA Division II, is 13-1 overall and leads the MIAA at 7-0. Missouri Southern is 9-5 overall and 3-4 in the MIAA, but is coming off back-to-back wins last week, beating Emporia State University at home by 18 points, then defeating Washburn University 86-69 in Topeka on Saturday.
"I think they are very similar to what we were last year," Johnson said of the Lions. "They basically have the whole team back.
"They've had two good wins in a row. I think they have finally put it together," he added.
Missouri Southern has four players scoring in double figures in the Lions' uptempo attack that features a full-court press designed to generate turnovers and easy buckets. Sophomore swingman Jason Adams leads the team in scoring at 17.5 points per game. The Lions force 21 turnovers per game.
Johnson said the team's goal normally is 12 turnovers or fewer. Tonight, against the press, it will be 16 or fewer.
"They really press and trap, run and jump all over the court," Johnson said. "Quick turnaround, not a lot of preparation.
"I think decision-making is key to tonight's game. They force your guards to put it on the floor and make plays. Comes down to how many turnovers you have," he added.
Fort Hays has three players scoring in double figures. Junior point guard Dominique Jones comes off the bench to average 13.6 points, while junior guard Corbin Kuntzsch -- who scored a career-high 33 points on Saturday -- is averaging 13.4 points.
Ken Bowman, a 6-foot-9 junior forward, is averaging 11.9 points.
Senior forward Tim Peintner, a starter who missed the two previous games with a sprained ankle, entered late in Saturday's game to give the Tigers another good free throw shooter on the floor. Johnson expects Peintner to play some against the Lions.
"Probably use him a little more tonight," Johnson said.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| MB | 03/13 | Central Oklahoma | W 80-64 |
| SB | 03/08 | Fort Lewis | W 5-4 |
| BB | 03/07 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 13-7 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 16-4 |
| BB | 03/06 | No. 9 Emporia State | W 3-0 |
| MB | 03/05 | Emporia State | L 65-61 |
| BB | 03/05 | No. 9 Emporia State | L 10-3 |
| WB | 03/04 | No. 15 Emporia | L 72-66 |
| WB | 02/28 | No. 12 Emporia State | L 87-80 |
| MB | 02/28 | Emporia State | W 94-47 |
| SB | 02/28 | Quincy | L 6-0 |
| SB | 02/27 | Mo Southern | W 9-3 |
| SB | 02/27 | Missouri S&T | L 8-3 |
| SB | 02/27 | Drury | W 17-10 |
| BB | 02/27 | Mo. Western | W 17-0 |
| BB | 02/27 | Mo. Western | W 3-2 (10 inn.) |
| BB | 02/26 | Mo. Western | W 12-8 |
| BB | 02/26 | Missouri Western | W 11-10 |
| MB | 02/24 | Pittsburg State | W 69-60 |
| WB | 02/24 | Pittsburg State | L 78-74 |