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FHSU vs. ESU, round 3
3/4/2010
By RANDY GONZALES
rgonzales@dailynews.net
The last time the Tigers played the Hornets, it was one for the history books.
The Fort Hays State University men's basketball team rolled past Emporia State University by 47 points in last Sunday's regular-season finale in Gross Memorial Coliseum.
It was the worst defeat for Emporia State in series history, and it was 13th-ranked Fort Hays' largest margin of victory this season in a Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association game.
No. 2 seed Fort Hays (22-5) and seventh-seeded Emporia State (13-14) meet again on Friday at 6 p.m. in Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo., in the first round of the MIAA postseason tournament.
Fort Hays needs to win the MIAA tourney to have any hope of hosting next week's South Central Regional. University of Central Missouri is ranked first in the region, while Fort Hays is third.
"Talk to the coaches, sometimes winning the conference tournament is more challenging than winning the regional tournament," Fort Hays coach Mark Johnson said.
The tourney's No. 1 seed is Central Missouri (25-2), ranked fourth in the nation. The Tigers and Mules have split two games this season, winning on each other's home court.
"Hays and Central have separated themselves from any other team in the league," Emporia State coach David Moe said. "No question, those two are the two best teams in the league."
The Tigers have beaten the Hornets twice this season, 69-65, in Emporia on Jan.20, and 94-47 last Sunday in Hays.
"It's hard to beat a team three times, and it's hard to beat a team twice in one week," Johnson said.
In Sunday's win, the Tigers got off to a fast start and never looked back. Moe hopes the tables will be turned on Friday.
"Maybe Hays won't be any good that day," Moe said. "They were good (Sunday), made us look bad."
Fort Hays is led in scoring by junior point guard Dominique Jones at 13.4 points per game, with junior guard Corbin Kuntzsch adding 13.2 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game. Junior center Ken Bowman averages 10 points.
Emporia State has three players scoring in double figures, led by senior guard Lamar Wilbern at 14.6 points per game.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| 2/18 | SW Baptist | L 66-53 | |
| 12/1 | Oklahoma - Panhandle | L 66-60 (OT) | |