KEARNEY, Neb. — Looking to shake a five-game skid, Griffon Men's Basketball takes on last-place Nebraska Kearney this Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Health & Sports Center.
KEEPING UP WITH THE GRIFFONS
KFEQ Radio will broadcast the game live on 680 AM and 95.3 FM with the "Voice of the Griffons" Tommy Rezac and Paul Smith on the call. Fans that want to watch the games can purchase a subscription to the MIAA network, where the game will be broadcast live. Admission can be purchased by clicking on the "Tickets" tab above.
SCOUTING NEBRASKA KEARNEY: JAN. 28 - 4 PM
Currently in 14th and last place in the MIAA, Nebraska Kearney (3-16, 1-12 MIAA) is on a five-game losing streak, marking its second losing streak of at least five games this season. The Lopers began their two-game homestand vs. No. 7/7 Northwest Missouri State on Thursday, losing to the Bearcats, 76-36. Before that, UNK lost to Missouri Southern, Fort Hays, No. 24 Emporia State and Washburn. Kearney is only 3-7 at home and has only defeated one MIAA opponent at the Health & Sports Center, pushing past Pittsburg State, 63-61 on Jan. 5. The Lopers give up the second-most points per game in the MIAA at 74.3.
Head Coach
In his eighth season as head coach at UNK, Kevin Lofton is 105-114 overall and 68-87 in the MIAA. He is amidst his 28th overall season a part of the UNK coaching staff, first starting as a graduate assistant in 1995. In his time as the leader of the Lopers, he is 4-5 vs. MWSU and 2-2 against Martin.
Who to Watch
Graduate student forward Darrian Nebeker is dangerous when he's locked in, scoring a team-high 15.9 PPG that ranks him eighth in the MIAA. He is tied for first in the conference with 4.8 APG, dishing the second-most assists in the league with 89 this season while holding the third-best assist/turnover ratio at 2.0. He is joined by sharpshooting sophomore guard Sean Evans, who in 10th in the MIAA with 13.9 PPG. Evans is also a sniper from deep, sporting the second-best 3-point field goal percentage at 45.5.
Record Rabbit Hole
The Lopers leas the all-time series dating back to the 1976-77 season, 21-18. Since picking the rivalry back up in 2013 after a 24-year hiatus, MWSU is 8-5 vs. UNK and 4-2 when playing in Kearney. No team has won back-to-back games since MWSU won two in a row from 2019-20.
Last Time Out
Box Score
Then a true freshman on Feb. 25, 2022,
Taye Fields went turbo against Nebraska-Kearney. The future Griffon leader scored a game and career-high 29 points while snagging 10 rebounds, leading MWSU to a 76-74 victory in Kearney at the Health & Sports Center. Eliminating a 40-39 halftime deficit, the Griffons closed out the regular season on a high note thanks to 11 points and seven rebounds from
Will Eames, who snagged three steals to keep UNK at bay.
ON THIS DAY IN GRIFFON MEN'S BASKETBALL HISTORY: JAN 28
Box Score
Nearing the end of an eventual 17-11 season in 2006, MWSU walked into the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center in Joplin, Missouri, with a win against Missouri Southern. After surviving a 7-2 Southern run to open the game, MWSU came screaming back to eventually take a 45-37 lead at the break. Thanks to a strong night from Demarius Bolds and his game-high 27 points, MWSU left Joplin with an 80-63 triumph.
NOTABLES
- Sophomore guard Reed Kemp surpassed 100 points this season with 11 scored at Fort Hays State on Thursday.
- With 11 more points, Glover will reach 900-career points. He also needs three more assists to reach 100, and he is one board away from 150-career rebounds.
- Glover has the 28th-highest 3-point percentage in Division II at 43.4, listing him fifth within all of the MIAA.
- Sophomore guard Zion Swader needs seven points to reach 200 for his career.
- Sophomore guard Julius Dixon has scored 10 or more points in 17 of 19 games this season.
