By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

BOLIVAR, Mo. – Hadley Gillum scored 21 points, JaQuan Smith added 16 and nine rebounds and Fort Hays State used an effective zone defense to beat Southwest Baptist 59-55 Thursday at the Meyer Sports Center and secure a first-round home game in next week’s MIAA Tournament.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers (17-10, 11-8 MIAA) fell behind by nine in the first five minutes then switched to a 2-3 zone which helped them go up 31-30 at the half. Tied 35-all with 16:26 to play, FHSU went on a 13-0 run over the next seven minutes and would never trail again.

SBU (14-13, 7-11 MIAA) closed the gap to two with 0:51 left but Trey O’Neil hit one of two free throws to push the lead to three. Rob Davis then got a steal and hit one of two from the line for the final margin.

Davis scored 12 points and was 2-for-8 from beyond the arc.

SBU, who missed 12 straight 3-point attempts at one point and was held to 34-percent shooting, was led by Logan Hovey who scored 17.