HENDERSON, Tenn. - The Freed-Hardeman Lions return home after a three-game road series to host William Woods (Mo.) on Saturday at 4:00 PM.

GAME COVERAGE
Video: FHU Game Central
Audio: FHU Game Central; FM91 (Logan Ross, play-by-play; Bryce Rudd, color)
Stats: Live Stats

SETTING THE STAGE
No. 4 FHU (20-2, 15-1) avoided an upset bid on Thursday at Missouri Baptist, pulling away late for a 92-80 win. The Owls are fresh off a road upset over Lyon (Ark.) on Thursday by the score of 61-57. The Lions need a win to keep their two-game lead in the American Midwest Conference standings while WWU is in a fight for sixth place.

LAST TIME THEY MET
Behind 25 points from Ben Meis, Freed-Hardeman ran out to a 19-point halftime lead and cruised to a 74-53 win on Dec. 16, 2014, in Fulton, Mo. Evan Forhetz added 15 points and nine assists.

INSIDE THE SERIES
FHU has won all three meetings in the series. The two teams had not played before the Lions joined the American Midwest Conference in 2013-14.

GRINDING OUT WINS
The Lions grinded out three wins during a three-game road swing that included a 75-69 victory at Columbia (Mo.) last Saturday, a win that extended their lead in the AMC to two games over the Cougars. The Lions can lose twice in their final six games and still host through the conference tournament as the overall top seed, as they would hold the tiebreaker over Columbia by virtue of the regular-season sweep.

20 AGAIN
FHU's win on Thursday night was its 20th of the season, and marked the seventh time in the last eight years in which the team has won at least 20 games under 10th-year head coach Jason Shelton. Prior to Shelton's arrival, the program had posted only six 20-win seasons in 21 years of competition.

BOARD SUPPORT
Since joining the lineup in January, junior forward Isaiah Harrison has helped the Lions have a larger presence on the boards. Prior to his arrival, FHU was trailing in rebounding margin but since he has rejoined the team the Lions are averaging 40.4 rebounds per game with a plus-9.0 rebound margin. Harrison is averaging 8.0 rebounds per game along with Vincent Dotson.

RHYMES WITH THREES
While Ben Meis's barrage of 3-pointers has cooled off some lately, the senior guard has been consistent with his scoring over his last seven games averaging 14.3 points per game and shooting 41.7 percent (20-of-48) from behind the arc.

DROPPING DIMES
Junior guard Evan Forhetz has led the NAIA in assists for most of the season, entering today's game averaging 7.1 per contest. He also takes care of the basketball, ranking third in assist-to-turnover ratio with 3.3.

PERIMETER POWER
FHU has been known for having a dominant scoring post over the past several years, but this season the Lions are doing it from the outside with its top three scorers - Cameron Lewis (17.9 ppg), Ben Meis (14.4 ppg) and Evan Forhetz (14.2) - all guards. The trio has combined to shoot 42.2 percent from 3-point range this year, knocking down 150 from behind the arc. The Lions rank sixth in the NAIA in 3-pointers made per game (9.0) and 13th in 3-point percentage (39.1).

SCOUTING THE OWLS
William Woods is coming off a big 61-57 road win over Lyon (Ark.) on Thursday and looks to score another upset today over the fourth-ranked Lions. The Owls play a slower-paced game, averaging 64.9 points per game, and are led in scoring by D.J. Johnson (10.5 ppg) and Ryan Hill (10.1 ppg). Nate Bitner is also a dangerous shooter, knocking down 39.3 percent from behind the arc.