The Fort Hays State Tigers closed the first half on a 13-0 run to take a 13-point lead into the halftime locker room. They then outscored South Dakota Mines 9-2 to start the second half and led by as many as 34 before winning 85-60 Saturday at Gross Coliseum. The win is the sixth-straight for the Tigers after a 2-2 start and improves them to 8-2 on the season. The loss snaps a two-game win streak for the Hardrockers and drops them to 8-4.
Despite missing his first 3-point tries in the first half, Ben Congiusta hit 4-of-5 in the second half and led Fort Hays State with 16 points. Dwayne Brunson and Lance Russell both add 14. Craig Nicholson added 12 along with eight assists.
The Tigers shoot 48-percent from the floor (29-61) including 10-for-22 from 3-point range. They also hit 17-of-21 free throws.