HENDERSON, Tenn. - The Freed-Hardeman Lions will look to keep their hold of the top spot in the American Midwest Conference as they travel to face William Woods (Mo.) University tonight at 7:30 PM.

GAME COVERAGE
Video: William Woods Game Central
Stats: Live Stats

SETTING THE STAGE
The Lions (8-1, 4-0) are coming off an overtime upset of then-No. 7 Columbia (Mo.) on Dec. 6, a win that helped vault FHU back into the NAIA top 10. The Owls (4-6, 1-2) comfortably defeated Haskell Indian Nations (Kan.) on Saturday and will look to pull an upset of their own as Christmas break approaches.

LAST TIME THEY MET
FHU had no trouble with the Owls on senior day in Henderson on March 1, 2014, racing out to a 51-25 lead at halftime on the way to an 89-62 victory that tied the program record for the most wins in a season. Kyle Teichmann scored a game-high 19 points in the win while Reginald Gilmore and Ben Meis each added 12.

INSIDE THE SERIES
Last season marked the first-ever meetings between the two programs, with FHU winning both contests.

TOP 10 AGAIN
After not being in the preseason polls, an 8-1 start has vaulted the Lions back into the NAIA Top 10 again. The Lions have been ranked in the top 10 in 12 of the last 13 ratings.

STILL DROPPING DIMES
Junior guard Evan Forhetz continues to lead the NAIA in assists, averaging 7.0 per game entering tonight's contest. The transfer from Lee (Tenn.) University also shoots 57.6 percent from 3-point range, fourth-best in the nation. Forhetz has dished out six or more assists in seven of FHU's nine games this season.

LEWIS LIMITED BY COUGARS
Senior Cameron Lewis saw his run of eight straight games scoring in double figures end last Saturday in the win over No. 7 Columbia (Mo.) as the Cougars held him to nine points on 3-of-18 shooting. Lewis still is one of the top scorers in the nation, averaging 19.2 points per game and shooting 48.0 percent from the field.

MEIS HEATING UP
After a shaky start to the season from behind the arc, 3-point specialist Ben Meis has turned it around as of late. In FHU's last two games, he went 10-of-17 from 3-point range while averaging 20.5 points per game.

SOLID PLAY FROM SHELL
Sophomore Stephen Shell has continued to give the Lions productive minutes off the bench. In last Saturday's win over Columbia, he had 10 points and made several key free throws down the stretch of overtime - as well as a driving scoop lay-up that put the Lions up by five with under 2:00 left.

SCOUTING THE OWLS
William Woods has been an up-and-down team this season, scoring some easy wins while also being on the wrong side of a few blowouts. The Owls have been efficient from the floor, shooting 46.4 percent, but have struggled from both 3-point range (31.8 percent) and the free throw line (59.0 percent). They also turn the ball over on average of 2.6 more times per game than their opponents.

JOHNSON NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
WWU forward D.J. Johnson was named the AMC Player of the Week on Monday following a 23-point, 10-rebound effort in a win over Haskell Indian Nations (Kan.). The 6-foot-7 junior leads the team in scoring with 13.2 points per game.