KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State’s Rob Davis has been named the MIAA Men’s Basketball Athlete of the Week after averaging 30.0 points per game in a pair of wins for FHSU over Northeastern State and Central Oklahoma.

In the Tigers 84-74 win over Northeastern State, he scored a team-high 24 points and hit four 3-point field goals. On Saturday in a 91-74 win over Central Oklahoma, Davis scored a career-high 36 points and went 8-of-10 from beyond the 3-point line and 13-of-18 overall from the field.

The 36 points matched the most scored by a Tiger under head coach Mark Johnson, tying teammate Craig Nicholson who had 36 in a game in 2014. The eight 3-point field goals in a game tied for third-most in school history, just one shy of the school record of nine held by two players.

Davis finished 22-of-32 (.688) from the field, 12-of-18 beyond the 3-point line (.667), and a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line for the week. Davis added 2.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 2.0 steals per game with his 30-point average.

The 5-11 junior guard is a native of Detroit, Mich. where he competed at Westside Christian Academy prior to playing at Pratt Community College.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State’s Paige Lunsford and Missouri Western’s Sarafina Handy have been named the MIAA Co-Women’s Basketball Athletes of the Week.

Lunsford nearly averaged a double-double in a pair of wins for FHSU over Northeastern State and Central Oklahoma. She averaged 18.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists, and 2.0 steals per game for the week, while recording the first double-double of her career. She picked up the double-double in the 68-47 win over Northeastern State with 14 points and 13 rebounds, while adding a team-high four assists.

The 13 rebounds set a new career high for Lunsford.

In a 59-56 overtime win over Central Oklahoma, she scored a career-high 22 points and pulled down five rebounds, while adding three steals and two assists. She scored a go-ahead layup for FHSU with just over a minute left in regulation after the Tigers trailed by 14 with 6:10 to go in the third quarter. She hit a pair of key free-throws under a minute remaining in overtime to help keep FHSU in front for good.

Handy was clutch, making key baskets as the Griffon Women won on the road at Washburn and Emporia State this week, two places the program had not won since the 2003-04 season.

FHSU Athletics

Fort Hays State improved its dual meet record to 5-2 by winning all four matches at the Midwest Duals in Kearney, Neb. on Saturday (Jan. 16).  The Tigers ousted New Mexico Highlands 36-6, Southwest Minnesota State 28-23, No. 20 ranked CSU-Pueblo 37-15, and San Francisco State 22-21 in their undefeated run for the day.

The No. 6 ranked wrestler at 184 pounds, Jon Inman, Cash Drylie at 197 pounds, and Noah Killip at 141 pounds won all four of their bouts on the day. Bradley Little was also unbeaten at 3-0 and William Homalon went 1-0. Drylie’s run was impressive in that all four of his wins were by fall. Adam Ludwin (125) went 3-1, while Anthony Calderon (133), Joey Dozier (157), and Kregg Clarke (165) won two matches each.

The day ended with a tiebreaker against San Francisco State. At the end of the 10 matches, the score was tied 21-21, but the Tigers were awarded the tiebreaker point having won six of the ten matches wrestled in the dual.

The Tigers now look ahead to Thursday, (Jan. 21) when they host No. 5 ranked Nebraska-Kearney in an MIAA dual at 7 pm.

Below are the results of each match.

Fort Hays State vs New Mexico Highlands
FHSU def. NMHU 36-6
125 Adam Ludwin (Fort Hays) over Jacob Espana (New Mexico Highlands) Dec 6-2
133 Tre Humphrey (New Mexico Highlands) over Anthony Calderon (Fort Hays) Dec 7-6
141 Noah Killip (Fort Hays) over Dan Gaylor (New Mexico Highlands) Dec 4-1
149 Bradley Little (Fort Hays) over Orlando Guerra (New Mexico Highlands) SV-1 9-7
157 Joey Dozier (Fort Hays) over Kellen Pelzel (New Mexico Highlands) Fall 2:04
165 Kregg Clarke (Fort Hays) over Juan Alvarado (New Mexico Highlands) Dec 8-5
174 Jonathan Bechtloff (New Mexico Highlands) over Dylan Wiesner (Fort Hays) Dec 3-2
184 Jon Inman (Fort Hays) over Luis Terrazas (New Mexico Highlands) Fall 1:05
197 Cash Drylie (Fort Hays) over Cody Marquez (New Mexico Highlands) Fall 1:16
285 Dakota Gulley (Fort Hays) over Corbin Grenowich (New Mexico Highlands) Fall 0:51

Fort Hays State vs Southwest Minnesota
FHSU def. SMSU 28-23
125 Adam Ludwin (Fort Hays) over Taylor Curtis (Southwest Minnesota) Maj 9-1
133 Anthony Calderon (Fort Hays) over Antonio Meikel (Southwest Minnesota) Dec 7-2
141 Noah Killip (Fort Hays) over Justin Haneke (Southwest Minnesota) Dec 4-0
149 William Homalon (Fort Hays) over Zachary Beaumaster (Southwest Minnesota) Fall 3:23
157 Patrick Kelley (Southwest Minnesota) over Joey Dozier (Fort Hays) Fall 6:10
165 Griffin Osing (Southwest Minnesota) over Kregg Clarke (Fort Hays) Fall 1:39
174 Kyle Begin (Southwest Minnesota) over Dylan Wiesner (Fort Hays) TF 19-3
184 Jon Inman (Fort Hays) over Broderick Goens (Southwest Minnesota) Fall 3:44
197 Cash Drylie (Fort Hays) over Ashton Bartlett (Southwest Minnesota) Fall 3:54
285 Cole Wilson (Southwest Minnesota) over Dakota Gulley (Fort Hays) Fall 6:25

Colorado State Pueblo vs Fort Hays State
FHSU def. CSUP 37-15
125 Adellmo Salazar (Colorado State Pueblo) over Adam Ludwin (Fort Hays) TB-2 3-2
133 Anthony Calderon (Fort Hays) over Adrian Manzo (Colorado State Pueblo) Fall 2:26
141 Noah Killip (Fort Hays) over Kyle Fantin (Colorado State Pueblo) Maj 8-0
149 Bradley Little (Fort Hays) over Tim Urenda (Colorado State Pueblo) Dec 7-3
157 Joey Dozier (Fort Hays) over Nathaniel McKimson (Colorado State Pueblo) Fall 3:32
165 Kregg Clarke (Fort Hays) over Kyle Bateman (Colorado State Pueblo) Fall 4:56
174 Joshua Castellano (Colorado State Pueblo) over Dylan Wiesner (Fort Hays) Fall 0:27
184 Jon Inman (Fort Hays) over Larry Schmueser (Colorado State Pueblo) Fall 6:29
197 Cash Drylie (Fort Hays) over Jakob Lund (Colorado State Pueblo) Fall 3:25
285 Jacob Mitchell (Colorado State Pueblo) over Dakota Gulley (Fort Hays) Fall 0:50

San Francisco vs Fort Hays State
FHSU def. SFSU 22-21 (Criteria)
125 Adam Ludwin (Fort Hays) over Christian Ramos (San Francisco) Dec 7-4
133 Fernando Giron (San Francisco) over Anthony Calderon (Fort Hays) Dec 5-3
141 Noah Killip (Fort Hays) over Josh Weinberg (San Francisco) Dec 4-2
149 Bradley Little (Fort Hays) over Dylan Furtado (San Francisco) Dec 5-0
157 Tavis Ino (San Francisco) over Joey Dozier (Fort Hays) Fall 2:47
165 Tyson Kuahine (San Francisco) over Kregg Clarke (Fort Hays) Fall 4:18
174 Dylan Wiesner (Fort Hays) over Mike Marshall (San Francisco) SV-1 6-4
184 Jon Inman (Fort Hays) over Johnathon Costa (San Francisco) Dec 8-4
197 Cash Drylie (Fort Hays) over Calvin Nicholls (San Francisco) Fall 1:44
285 Sam Alnassiri (San Francisco) over Dakota Gulley (Fort Hays) Fall 2:07
FHSU gains tiebreaker point on criteria (FHSU won 6-of-10 matches in dual)

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Rob Davis scored a career-high 36 points and Fort Hays State knocked in a season-high 15 three-point shots in a 91-74 win over Central Oklahoma Saturday afternoon at Gross Coliseum. Davis went 8-for-10 from beyond the arc, one off the FHSU single-game record, as the Tigers (13-4, 7-4 MIAA) win their second straight.

UCO (8-9, 4-7 MIAA), who played nine of their first 11 conference games on the road, has their three-game win streak snapped.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Rob Davis Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

 

The Tigers hit three straight 3-pointers to start the game and never led by less than four the entire contest. They led by 10 at halftime and by 22 late in the contest.

FHSU shot 59-percent for the game including 15-of-22 from beyond the arc and were 18-of-20 from the free throw line. It’s the third straight game which FHSU has hit 10 or more threes.

Craig Nicholson scored 13 and Jake Stoppel added 10.

UCO was led by Garen Wright and Jordan London who both scored 14.

 

 

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – The third-ranked Fort Hays State women overcame poor shooting and a double-figure second half deficit to beat Central Oklahoma 59-56 in overtime Saturday afternoon at Gross Coliseum. The Tigers (16-1, 10-1 MIAA) shot 25-percent from the floor but win their sixth straight and stay unbeaten at home.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

 

Game Highlights

 

UCO (12-5, 6-5) MIAA) hit six 3-pointers in the first quarter and seven in the first half in building a 10-point halftime lead. They pushed the lead to 14 with 6:08 in the third quarter before the Tigers put together an 11-0 run, keyed by a six-point possession, to pull within three heading to the fourth quarters.

Jill Faxon keyed the run with three straight 3-pointers and finished with 13 points and a game high 12 rebounds.

Paige Lunsford hit a layup with 1:02 in the fourth quarter to give FHSU their first lead since the first quarter. UCO’s Olivia Mason knocked in two free throws with 7 seconds to play to force overtime.

Down four in the extra period, Chelsea Mason hit her only 3-pointer of the game to pull the Tigers within a point. It keyed a 7-0 which gave FHSU the lead for good.

Lunsford, who hit five straight free throws in the fourth quarter and overtime, scored a career-high 22 points to lead the Tigers.

Fort Hays State travels to No. 10 Missouri Western Thursday night in a battle for first place in the MIAA.

 

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State shot 61-percent in the first half and hit seven 3-pointers in building a 16-point halftime lead then hold on in the second half for an 84-74 win over Northeastern State Thursday at Gross Coliseum. The RiverHawks (4-10, 3-7 MIAA) scored the first eight points of the second half but the Tigers (12-4, 6-4 MIAA) answered with seven straight to push the lead back to double-figures where it would remain the rest of the game.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Craig Nicholson Postgame Interview

 

Game  Highlights

 

Rob Davis led the Tigers with 24 points, Craig Nicholson added 15 and Dom Samac 13 along with 13 rebounds. Nicholson also dished out five assists and is now second in career assists with 561, passing Mark Wilson. He moves into ninth in career scoring with 1,255 points, passing Fred Campbell.

The Tigers shoot 53-percent for the night including 10-of-20 from beyond the arc and hit 18-of-21 free throws. They outrebounded the RiverHawks by 17 but turned the ball over 2o times.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State tied a season-high with 11 three-pointers as they win their fifth straight 68-47 over Northeastern State Thursday night at Gross Coliseum. The Tigers (15-1, 9-1 MIAA) hit five from long range in the first quarter and had eight by halftime.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

 

Game Highlights

 

The Tigers scored 25 points off 18 offensive rebounds and added 19 points off 19 RiverHawk turnovers.

Jill Faxon knocked down three 3-pointers and led the Tigers with 17 points. Paige Lunsford hit two from long range and scored 14 along with 13 rebounds. Chelsea Mason added four 3-pointers and scored 12.

Northeastern State (5-11, 2-8 MIAA) was led by Kate Bellamy who scored 12. The RiverHawks have now lost five straight to the Tigers and five straight overall.

No change for the Fort Hays State women’s basketball team in the latest WBCA/USA Today top-25 poll which came out Tuesday afternoon. The Tigers hold at No. 3 for the second straight week after wins at Lindenwood and Lincoln.

West Texas A&M remains No. 1 and Alaska-Anchorage No. 2.

Despite two road wins, Emporia State drops a spot to No. 9. Unbeaten Missouri Western jumps three to No. 10.

The Tigers fell one spot in the Division II media poll where they sit at No. 11. Missouri Western is sixth and Emporia State 20th.

Latest WBCA/USA Today…

Rank	Institution – First Place Votes	Previous Rank	Record	Total Points
1	West Texas A&M University – 18	1	15-0	594
2	University of Alaska – Anchorage – 1	2	18-1	536
3	Fort Hays State University (Kan.)	3	14-1	510
4	Lubbock Christian University (Texas) – 4	5	13-0	507
5	California Baptist University	4	13-1	478
6	Ashland University (Ohio)	7	14-0	462
7	Limestone College (S.C.)	10	12-0	422
8	Lewis University (Ill.)	9	14-1	417
9	Emporia State University (Kan.)	8	13-2	411
10	Missouri Western State – 1	13	15-0	397
11	Nova Southeastern University (Fla.)	11	13-1	383
12	Winona State University (Minn.)	12	16-1	356
13	Columbus State University (Ga.)	14	12-1	302
14	Anderson University (S.C.)	15	10-1	244
15	West Liberty University (W.Va.)	16	12-1	211
16	Drury University (Mo.)	6	10-3	200
17	Benedict College (S.C.)	18	16-1	184
18	Union University (Tenn.)	17	14-2	182
19	Quincy University (Ill.)	19	13-1	152
20	American International College (Mass.)	21	15-0	147
21	Virginia Union University	20	11-1	130
22	Arkansas Tech University	23	8-2	83
23	University of California – San Diego	25	12-2	74
24	Azusa Pacific University (Calif.)	24	12-2	72
25	Delta State University (Miss.)	22	11-2	67

Dropped Out: No one dropped out.

Others receiving votes: Clayton State University (Ga.) 60; Florida Southern College 48; University Of Sioux Falls (S.D.) 34; Bellarmine University (Ky.) 30; Colorado State University – Pueblo 25; Northern State University (S.D.) 14; Bentley University (Mass.) 6; Francis Marion University (S.C.) 6.

13 teams mentioned on only one ballot for a total of 55 combined points.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Lincoln used a 24-5 second half run to erase a 10-point deficit and defeat the Fort Hays State Tigers 76-70 Saturday afternoon at Jason Gym. The Tigers (11-4, 5-4 MIAA) have now lost two straight following a six-game win streak. The Blue Tigers (10-5, 6-3 MIAA) snap a two game losing skid.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

 

Fort Hays State went on an 11-2 run to build a 10-point lead with 12:02 to play, but Lincoln held them to five points over the next 11 minutes and built a nine-point lead.

FHSU was held to 38-percent shooting in the second half and finished at 43-percent for the game. Lincoln shot 54-percent in the second half and was 45-percent for the contest. The Tigers hit 10 three-pointers and Lincoln 11.

Rob Davis led FHSU with 20 points and nine rebounds. Dom Samac added 16 points and eight boards.

Lincoln was led by Jaylon Smith who hit seven 3-pointers and scored 21. Richie Lewis added 18 and Anthony Vedure chipped in with 15, nine below his season average.