FHSU Athletics

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State took five of nine matches wrestled and benefitted from one forfeit for a 28-14 win over Adams State on Saturday (Jan. 9) at Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers benefitted from 10 bonus points to pick up their first dual win of the season, now 1-2 overall.

Adam Ludwin put the Tigers up 3-0 early with a 5-3 decision over Ian Wingstrom at 125 pounds, but Adams State took its only lead of the dual at 4-3 on an 18-8 major decision win for Martin Ramirez over Anthony Calderon.

From that point, the Tigers rolled to a big lead by racking up 17 points over the next three weights. Jacob Kay picked up a technical fall, 16-1, over Joshua Salas at 141 pounds, William Homalon pinned Devin Vasquez in 4:46 at 149 pounds, and Joey Dozier received a forfeit win at 157 pounds. FHSU led 20-4 midway through the dual.

Kregg Clarke came up just short in a 5-4 loss to Koery Windham at 165 pounds, but Dylan Wiesner gained the three points back for FHSU at 174 pounds on a 4-2 decision over Mario Garcia. Jon Inman, ranked No. 6 in the nation at 184 pounds, rolled to an 18-3 technical fall over Richard Bencomo to push the FHSU lead to 28-7.

The Grizzlies took the final two matches of the dual. Joe Bencomo had a 10-2 major decision over Macquille Robinson at 197 pounds and Tuli Laulu defeated Dakota Gulley 4-3 at 285 pounds.

The Tigers hit the road next weekend (Dec. 16) for the Midwest Duals, hosted by Nebraska-Kearney in Kearney, Neb. The Tigers will wrestle four duals in one day at the event.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State used an early 15-0 run in the first quarter and never looked back as they cruised to a 68-41 victory over Lincoln Saturday afternoon at Jason Gym. The Tigers (14-1, 8-1 MIAA) win their fourth straight. The Blue Tigers (6-9, 2-7 MIAA), who were playing their third ranked team in the last four games, have lost five straight.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

 

Game Highlights

 

Chelsea Mason led three Tigers in double-figures with 19 points. Jill Faxon added 15 and 10 rebounds while Paige Lunsford scored 11.

FHSU shot 39-percent from the floor despite hitting just 4-of-27 from beyond the arc. The Tigers outrebounded Lincoln by four and forced 22 turnovers.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Fort Hays State was held to a season-low in points and shooting as they see their six-game win streak snapped in a 68-49 loss to Lindenwood Thursday night at Hyland Arena. The Tigers (11-3, 5-3) were held to just 18 points in the first half and shot 34.5% for the game.

The Lions (10-4, 6-2) opened the game with an 11-0 run and led by 27 at halftime. They pushed the lead to 29 early in the second half.

Fort Hays State used a 21-8 run to pull within 16 with a little over five minutes to play but would get no closer.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Dom Samac and Rob Davis both scored 17 to lead the Tigers, who only had five players score.

Cory Arentsen scored 20 of his game-high 22 points in the first half to lead Lindenwood. 7-1 center Stanislas Heili added 16 along with 15 rebounds.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

ST. CHARLES, Mo. – Chelsea Mason scored 21, Beth Bohuslavsky 14 and Jill Faxon 10, leading the No. 3 ranked Fort Hays State women to a hard fought 65-59 win over Lindenwood Thursday at Hyland Arena. The Tigers (13-1, 7-1 MIAA) have won three straight while handing the Lady Lions (7-7, 3-5) their third straight loss.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

 

The Tigers outscored Lindenwood 10-4 over the final four minutes, holding the Lady Lions to four free throws after a Kelsey Gengenbacher layup tied the game 55-55.

FHSU hit 11 of 12 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter including six straight by Bohuslavsky.

The Tigers win despite shooting 34-percent (21-62) and 6-of-22 from 3-point range. They were outrebounded by six and turned the ball over 12 times.

 

 

FHSU Athletics

EDMOND, Okla. – Fort Hays State held a brief lead but gave away too many bonus points in a 30-13 loss at Central Oklahoma on Tuesday evening (Jan. 5) in the first conference dual of the season. The Tigers are now 0-2 overall and 0-1 in the MIAA, while UCO went to 3-0 overall and 1-0 in the MIAA.

Final Results

Adam Ludwin gave the Tigers their only lead of the night by scoring a 16-4 major decision over Josh Breece at 125 pounds to open the dual. However, the lead went away immediately with the Tigers open at 133 pounds forfeiting six points to the Bronchos. The UCO two-point lead grew to eight at 12-4 when Noah Killip was pinned in 1:49 by Josh Ailey at 141 pounds.

The Tigers were able to make a run with consecutive decision wins. William Homalon won a high-scoring match at 149 pounds 16-13 over No. 7 ranked Spencer Rutherford, then Joey Dozier followed with a 6-5 decision over Jeromy Davenport at 157 pounds. Dozier was down two late, but scored a reversal then tacked on a riding time point for keeping control the majority of the first period. FHSU trailed by two once more, 12-10, heading into the 165-pound match.

Kregg Clarke  avoided giving up bonus points at 165 pounds, dropping a 9-3 decision to Danny Carillo, but Dylan Wiesner fell victim to a pin by Mason Thompson at 174 pounds as UCO pushed its lead out to 11, 21-10, with three matches to go.

Jon Inman  pulled the Tigers within eight scoring a 7-2 decision over Brock Warren at 184 pounds. Inman remains the No. 6 ranked wrestler nationally at 184 pounds with just one loss on the season.

The final two matches went to the Bronchos’ way as Cash Drylie  lost by a 6-3 decision to Brody Largent at 197 pounds and  Dakota Gulley  was pinned by Kyle Factor late in the third period (6:37) at 285 pounds.

Fort Hays State returns home for non-conference action against Adams State on Saturday (Jan. 9) at 2 pm.

FHSU Athletics

The latest edition of the WBCA Division II Poll was released on Tuesday (Jan. 5). After enjoying nearly a month at No. 1 in the nation, Fort Hays State only slipped two spots in the latest poll to No. 3. The Tigers went 4-1 overall in their stay at No. 1 from December 8 to January 5.

Fort Hays State is still the highest ranked team from the MIAA in the poll. The MIAA boasts three teams within the top 15, led by FHSU at No. 3. Emporia State with two losses on the season is still in the top 10 at No. 8. The Hornets started the year at No. 1 in the preseason rankings and stayed there for the first two regular season polls until the No. 5 ranked Tigers took the No. 1 ranking with a 71-70 win over the Hornets in Hays on December 5. Fort Hays State held the No. 1 ranking for two regular season polls as well.

Missouri Western surprisingly remains outside the top 10 at No. 13, despite its 14-0 overall and 8-0 MIAA record. That record will be tested soon as the Griffons face a tough stretch starting on January 13 having to travel to Washburn, then Emporia State, followed by home games against FHSU and Nebraska-Kearney, then road games at Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern. Missouri Western has seen a tremendous leap in success this year after going 15-12 overall last year. The Griffons are led by LaQuinta Jefferson, the MIAA’s top scorer at 23.5 points per game, now in her second year at MWSU. She was a national junior college player of the year candidate that initially committed to Louisiana State University before opting to play at Missouri Western.

As the No. 1 team, FHSU defeated Nebraska-Kearney in overtime to protect its ranking in the poll released on December 15. FHSU then went on the road to win at Central Missouri, but took its first loss of the season at Southwest Baptist on December 19. Since the WBCA does not release a poll over the holiday break, FHSU remained No. 1 in the poll and took on Pittsburg State (receiving votes in the poll) and Missouri Southern at home on January 2 and 4. FHSU won both of those contests to post a 4-1 record in its stay at the top.

Fort Hays State has remained in the top 10 of the national rankings in all five regular season polls, going from No. 7, to No. 5, to No. 1 for two polls, and now back to No. 3. The Tigers were No. 10 in the preseason poll.

The Tigers continue the grind of MIAA play on Thursday (Jan. 7) and Saturday (Jan. 9) at Lindenwood and Lincoln, looking to keep pace with Missouri Western at the top of the MIAA standings. Missouri Western plays just once this week against last-place Northwest Missouri State.

Below is the WBCA Division II Top 25 Poll for January 5, 2016.

Rank	Institution – First Place Votes	Previous Rank	Record	Total Points
1	West Texas A&M University – 20	2	12-0	596
2	University of Alaska – Anchorage – 1	5	16-1	515
3	Fort Hays State University (Kan.)	1	12-1	509
4	California Baptist University	6	10-1	480
5	Lubbock Christian University (Texas) – 3	12	11-0	438
6	Drury University (Mo.)	4	10-1	428
7	Ashland University (Ohio)	11	12-0	423
8	Emporia State University (Kan.)	3	11-2	417
9	Lewis University (Ill.)	7	12-1	412
10	Limestone College (S.C.)	8	9-0	406
11	Nova Southeastern University (Fla.)	10	12-1	383
12	Winona State University (Minn.)	9	14-1	371
13	Missouri Western State	16	14-0	357
14	Columbus State University (Ga.)	15	10-1	279
15	Anderson University (S.C.)	17	8-1	208
16	West Liberty University (W.Va.)	19	10-1	204
17	Union University (Tenn.)	14	12-2	170
18	Benedict College (S.C.)	24	14-1	150
19	Quincy University (Ill.)	23	11-1	133
20	Virginia Union University	20	8-1	122
21	American International College (Mass.)	NR	13-0	110
22	Delta State University (Miss.)	22	10-1	99
23	Arkansas Tech University	18	6-2	97
24	Azusa Pacific University (Calif.)	25	9-2	71
25	University of California – San Diego	NR	10-2	69

Others receiving votes: California University of Pennsylvania (Pa.) 61; University Of Sioux Falls (S.D.) 50; Florida Southern College 32; Clayton State University (Ga.) 25; Colorado State University – Pueblo 25; Bellarmine University (Ky.) 23; Pittsburg State University (Kan.) 21; Francis Marion University (S.C.) 17; Northern State University (S.D.) 14; Queens College (N.Y.) 11; Assumption College (Mass.) 9; Bentley University (Mass.) 9; Gannon University (Pa.) 6; Kentucky State University (Ky.) 3.

By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) – Perry Ellis had 27 points and 13 rebounds, Devonte Graham hit the go-ahead free throw in the third overtime and top-ranked Kansas outlasted Buddy Hield and second-ranked Oklahoma 109-106 on Monday night in an early showdown of Final Four contenders

Wayne Selden had 21 points and Graham finished with 20 for the Jayhawks (13-1, 2-0 Big 12), who had chances to win the game in regulation and each of the first two overtimes before finally getting it done.

Hield had a career-high 46 points for Oklahoma (12-1, 1-1), but he made two crucial turnovers in the final extra session, then missed a potential tying 3-pointer at the buzzer as the Jayhawks celebrated.

Jordan Woodard hit six 3-pointers and had 27 points for the Sooners, who were trying to extend their best start in 28 yards. Ryan Spangler finished with 14 points and 18 rebounds.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. -Craig Nicholson hit a free throw with three seconds to play to break an 83-all tie and lift the Fort Hays Tigers to a 84-83 win over Missouri Southern  Monday at Gross Coliseum. Taevaunn Prince missed a deep three-point attempt at the horn to give the Tigers (11-2, 5-2 MIAA) their sixth straight win.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Rob Davis Postgame Interview

 

Game Highlights

 

The Tigers led by 10 at halftime and pushed the lead to 12 early in the second but the Lions came storming back with a 17-7 run to pull within two at 51-49. An 11-2 run capped by a Trey O’Neil three-pointer pushed the lead to 11 with 4:28 to play.

MSSU (8-6, 5-3 MIAA) outscored the Tigers 13-2 the rest of regulation, getting a three-pointer from Bruce Marshall to the the game with 29 seconds left.

The Lions led by four on two different occasions in the overtime, but a Rob Davis layup closed the gap to two with just over a minute to play. Jake Stoppel hit two free throws to tie the game with 49 seconds left as the Tigers score the final five points of overtime.

Dom Samac led four Tigers in double-figures with 21 points and 10 rebounds. Jake Stoppel added 10 points and 11 boards. Rob Davis scored 20 and Craig Nicholson chipped in with 17.

Taevaunn Prince scored 26 to lead the Lions.

 

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Beth Bohuslavsky scored 13 of her team-high 19 points in the fourth quarter to lead the top-ranked Tiger women to a 68-60 win over Missouri Southern Monday at Gross Coliseum. The Tigers (12-1, 6-1 MIAA) have won two straight to start the new year while the Lions (9-5, 3-5 MIAA) lose for their third straight.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

 

Game Highlights

 

 

The Tigers used an early 14-2 run to go up 10 in the second quarter. A 12-0 run pushed the lead to 15 early in the fourth quarter, but the Lions would battle back with a 16-2 run to pull within two with 1:49 to play in the third.

Paige Lunsford scored in back-to-back possessions to push the lead to six then Bohuslavsky took over for the Tigers.

Chelsea Mason scored 14, Lunsford 13 and Jill Faxon 10. Ellie Stein pulled down a career-high 14 rebounds as the Tigers score 16 second chance points.

FHSU wins despite 36-percent shooting. They hit only 2-of-16 from beyond the arc and missed all nine of their 3-point attempts in the second half.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State used 24-4 first half run to build a 23-point lead and defeat the Pittsburg State Gorillas 77-57 Saturday afternoon in front of 2,225 at Gross Coliseum. The Tigers shot 53-percent in the first half as they bounce back from their first loss of the season to improve to 11-1 overall and 5-1 in the MIAA.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

 

Game Highlights

 

The Gorillas, who were held to their season-low in points, has lost two of their last three and droops to 10-3 and 4-3 om conference play.

Pitt State pulled within 14 and had the ball midway through the fourth quarter, but a steal and layup by Nicola Kacperska sparked a 9-0 run to push the lead back to 23.

Chelsea Mason led three Tigers in double-figures with 16 points. Jill Faxon added 13 and Beth Bohuslavsky 10.

The Tigers forced 18 Pitt State turnvers resulting in 33 points.