FHSU Athletics

(RV) Fort Hays State (17-9, 9-8 MIAA)
at Pittsburg State (15-11, 9-7 MIAA)
Saturday, February 21 • 3:30 p.m.
Pittsburg, Kan. • John Lance Arena

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Fort Hays State will play its final road contest of the regular season on Saturday when it takes on Pittsburg State in Pittsburg, Kan. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at John Lance Arena. The Tigers enter at 17-9 overall and 9-8 in the MIAA, while the Gorillas are 15-11 overall and 9-7 in the MIAA.

The Tigers are coming off a tight 64-60 loss at Missouri Southern on Thursday evening in Joplin. The Tigers did not face a deficit in the game until about 13 minutes remaining. From that point, the game was a back-and-forth battle that saw 13 lead changes and six ties. Missouri Southern scored the final five points of the game, all at the free-throw line. Kyle Grill led the Tigers with 15 points, followed by Muhamed Kante with 13.

Pittsburg State is coming off an 86-70 win over Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday night. The Gorillas joined Missouri Southern in jumping FHSU in the MIAA standings by a half game. This will be the only meeting of the regular season between FHSU and PSU.

Fort Hays State holds a 92-78 advantage in the all-time series with Pittsburg State. They snapped a three-game losing string to the Gorillas with a 62-58 win last year in Hays, the only meeting of the 2024-25 season between the schools. The teams have split the last 10 meetings in Pittsburg, 5-5. FHSU’s last win in Pittsburg was during the 2022-23 season.

The Tigers have the sixth-best scoring defense in the nation, allowing just 63.0 points per game. They rank 10th nationally in field goal percentage defense (39.6 percent) and seventh in 3-point field goal percentage defense (28.6 percent).

Dan Mukuna (17.0), Kyle Grill (13.3), and Jahvari Martino (11.5) all continue to average double figures in scoring for the Tigers this season. Mukuna leads in rebounding at 7.5 per game, while Lucas Hammeke heads the Tigers in assists at 3.5 per game. Muhamed Kante has provided a scoring surge of late, reaching double figures in each of the last five games.

Connor Rogers leads the Gorillas in scoring at 18.9 points per game. Mason English dishes out 5.7 assists per game, while averaging 15.4 points per game.

That simple sound of water running from your sink is something most of us don’t think twice about. But starting March 8th, every time you turn that handle, it’s going to cost a little more.

The Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission has approved a rate settlement for Pittsburgh Water totaling about $25 million across water, wastewater, and stormwater services.

The good news is that it’s significantly lower than the original rate increase request.

So, what does that mean for you?

A typical residential customer will see about a $15 increase per month, roughly a 10% increase.

“Especially with recent times, things just keep getting more expensive. Especially for a lot of people like me who are post-grad working jobs, it’s hard to pay the bills sometimes,” said resident Ethan Snyder.

But for customers enrolled in the bill discount program, the impact will be much smaller.

Pittsburgh Water CEO Will Pickering said the settlement strikes a balance.

“The PUC-approved settlement balances necessary investment in Pittsburgh’s water, wastewater, and stormwater systems with meaningful protections for customers,” said Pickering.

The additional revenue will go toward expanding assistance programs and upgrading aging water, wastewater, and stormwater systems.

“If it’s able to help balance that out, I can see why it would be beneficial for support in our community and residents that live here,” said Snyder.

There are also long-term changes included.

The settlement eliminates a planned 2027 base rate increase and begins phasing out the minimum charge, giving customers more control over their bills based on actual usage.

It also expands the hardship fund, adds deeper low-income discounts, and will automatically enroll eligible customers in an unpaid bill forgiveness program starting this fall.

Pittsburgh Water will also face stricter service standards and additional reporting requirements on stormwater projects