The Fort Hays State Tigers nearly erased a nine-point deficit in the final three and-a-half minutes, but a missed layup by Lance Russell with under 10 seconds to play helps the Pittsburg State Gorillas hold on for a 72-69 win Saturday afternoon at John Lance Arena in Pittsburg. The loss drips the Tigers to 10-5 and 4-3 in the MIAA. Pitt State improves to 12-4 and 5-3 in the conference.
The Tigers led by 13 with with 3:30 to play in the first half but Pitt closed the half on a 15-2 run to tie the game at 35 at the break. The Gorillas pushed the lead to six, part of a 23-4 run. The Tigers rallied to take a 46-43 lead but Pitt responded with a 13-2 run to go up nine with 6:20 left. The Tigers were still down nine with 3:40 left when they began their comeback.
Lance Russell led the Tigers with 21 points along with nine rebounds. Craig Nicholson added 15 and seven assists, Dwayne Brunson scored 14 and Ben Congiusta 11 with seven assists.
Pitt State outscored the Tigers by 12 at the free throw line, attempting 17 more for the game. Fort Hays State , who shoot a season-low 38.8-percent from the floor, hit 12-of-26 three-pointers. Pitt was 7-for-14 beyond the arc. FHSU was even in rebounding against the MIAA second best rebounding team, and had four more on the offensive end.
Mark Johnson Postgame Interview