Matt Barker, Sports Information Director

HENDERSON, Tenn. - The Freed-Hardeman Lion basketball team will open up conference play tonight as they host Harris Stowe State (Mo.) University in a 7:30 PM match up at the Brewer Sports Center.

SETTING THE STAGE

FHU (3-1) is coming into Thursday's match up off an impressive 81-59 win over Cumberland (Tenn.) University on Tuesday. The Lions led for a majority of the first half, but were not able to extend their lead as they shot just 34 percent from the field in the first half and took a 30-24 lead into the half.

The second half was a much different story for the Lions as they shot an impressive 57 percent and would open the half with an 11-0 run beginning at the 17:53 mark to extend their lead to 14 points with 15:16 remaining in the game. Cumberland would not be able to recover from the deficit as the Lions received solid offensive contribution from ten different players.

Isaiah Harrison led the way for the Lions and recorded his third double-double of the season as he put up 19 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in the contest. Evan Forhetz also contributed on the offensive end with 13 points and five assists. Orlando Bass continued his strong play and put up 12 points.

Harris Stowe State (2-1) is coming into Thursday's game off a 64-47 victory over Central State University on Saturday. Sophomore Jalen Fletcher led the Hornets in total offense as he recorded a double-double in the contest with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Dominic Phillips also contributed on the offensive end with 12 points of his own while Evan Jones had 11.

The Lions will look to keep Fletcher in check on the offensive end and the glass as they look to pick up a win in their conference opener tonight.

LAST TIME THEY MET

The Lions faced Harris Stowe twice last season and defeated them on both occasions. FHU opened their conference schedule last season at Harris Stowe on November 20 and came away with an impressive 86-66 victory over the Hornets to move to 4-0 on the season. Cameron Lewis led the Lions in scoring with 31 points, 21 of which came in the first half. Evan Forhetz picked up where Lewis left off in the first half and had 16 of his 18 points in the second half.

HSSU got back within six points before Forhetz hit a trio of 3-pointers midway through the second half while his steal and layup capped off a 15-6 run that gave the Lions a 15-point lead with 8:33 left. The Hornets never got closer than 12 points the rest of the way.

In the second match up between the two schools, the Lions continued their hot shooting as they hosted the Hornets on January 22 and came away with a 97-70 victory.

The Lions never trailed in the match up, opening the game on a 7-0 run to lead by as many as 18 in the first half. FHU extended its lead to 22 in the second half before HSSU went on an 18-8 run to pull within 12. FHU responded with seven unanswered points to secure the victory as Harris-Stowe would get no closer than 16 for the rest of the game.

Cameron Lewis led all scorers with 20 points while Trevor Randolph came off the bench to add a career-high 18. Evan Forhetz added 16 points and Ben Meis chipped in 11. Harrison grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds, while FHU had a season-high 49 rebounds as a team.

The Lions will look to have a similar result tonight against the Hornets as they open up their AMC conference schedule in the 7:30 PM match up at the Brewer Sports Center.

COVERAGE

LIVE STATS, LIVE VIDEO, LIVE AUDIO, TWITTER