Drury Panthers Game Preview
Drury Panthers (6-3) at Arkansas-Fort Smith Lions (5-5)
Sat., Dec. 21, 2024 – 1 pm
Kaundart Arena – Fort Smith, Ark.      
 
Live Coverage
Radio- KICK 92.3 FM / 1340 AM
Live Audio- 923kick.com, TuneIn app
Live Video: The MIAA Network
Live Stats: uafortsmithlions.com
 
Panthers on the road to face Arkansas-Fort Smith
Drury plays their first road game since their season opener as they travel to Arkansas - Fort Smith on Saturday for a 1 pm game.
 
The Panthers are 6-3 and coming off a 93-53 win over Central Christian (Mo.) on Monday. That game ended a stretch of eight straight home games for Drury. The Panthers game at Arkansas-Fort Smith is the first road contest since Nov. 8, when Drury won at Thomas More 63-54. Saturday's game starts a stretch of five straight road games for the Panthers.
 
Arkansas-Fort Smith is 5-5 and has won their last two games. The Lions beat Dallas Christian 89-58 on Monday at home.
 
Saturday's game is the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
 
Drury is led by Zach Howell, averaging 17.8 points. The Springfield-Catholic product is shooting 46 percent from three-point range and also contributes 5.2 rebounds per game. Juok Riak is averaging 14.3 points and is shooting 59 percent from the field.
 
Following Saturday's game, the Panthers enter into their mandatory seven-day break as part of the NCAA's Life In Balance program for Division II. Drury's next game is Jan. 3 when the Panthers play at William Jewell for a 7:30 pm tipoff in Liberty, Mo. 
 
About the Lions
Arkansas-Fort Smith has one common opponent with Drury. The Lions beat Quincy 78-74 on the road on Nov. 27. The Panthers lost the Hawks at home on Dec. 5.
 
UAFS is led by Terrell Williams, Jr., a redshirt senior from Dallas who transferred from Division I Iona. Williams is averaging 14.1 points. The Lions feature seven Division I transfers on their roster.
 
Zane Gibson is in his second year as head coach of the program. The Lions went 7-21 last year. Gibson was previously the head coach at Western New Mexico for three seasons and was at Texas-Permian Basin for two years.
 
The Lions are in their first year as a member of the MIAA and are off to a 0-2 start in conference play with losses to Northeastern State and Newman. Both defeats were by just three points.
 
Ark.-Fort Smith has been in a lot of tight games this season, with six of their 10 games played decided by five points or less.
 
 
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