By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

Pittsburg State went on a 14-2 run over over a 6:10 stretch of the second to build a 12-point lead and never let Fort Hays State any closer than nine the rest of the way and defeat the Lady Tigers 74-60 Saturday afternoon at John Lance Arena in Pittsburg. The loss is FHSU’s second straight in conference play and drops them to 12-4 overall and 6-4 in the MIAA. Pitt improves to 13-6 and 6-3 in the conference.

The Gorillas led by five at the half, but FHSU scored the first five out of the locker room to tie the game a 39. A Kate Lehman basket tied the game at 45 but the Gorillas held the Tigers to two points over the next six-plus minutes and would lead by as many as 16.

The Tigers shot just 34-percent and were just 2-for-15 from beyond the arc but the most telling stat was rebounding where the Gorillas owned a 17 rebound advantage including 14 offensive boards.

Kate Lehman led the Lady Tigers with 17 points. Kate Lehman added 13. Lizzy Jeronimus scored 16 to lead PSU.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

Craig Nicholson led five Fort Hays Tigers scored 20 points to lead the Fort Hays State Tigers to an 84-69 win over South Dakota Mines Thursday night at Gross Coliseum. The win is FHSU’s seventh straight and improves their record to 15-3. The Hardrockers falls 6-13.

The Tigers led by 16 late in the first half but the Hardrockers scored the final six points of the half to pull with 1o at halftime. They closed the gap to three with 14:29 to play, but the Tigers answer with a 23-8 run to push the lead to 18.

The Tigers shot 51-percent from the floor and hit 23-of-32 free throws. Dwayne Brunson scored 17, James Fleming 14, Carson Konrade 13 and Tomislav Gabric 10.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

The Fort Hays State Lady Tigers held South Dakota Mines without a field goal for the first 10:38, building a 16-1 lead and defeat the Lady Hardrockers 64-39 Thursday at Gross Coliseum. The win improves FHSU to 13-3. The Hardrockers see their three-game win streak come to an end and fall to 6-12.

Mines missed their first 12 shots as the Lady Tigers built a lead as high as 19 in the first half. The Lady Hardrockers used a 10-2 second half run to close the gap to 12 but Alyssa Palmer hit a 3-pointer to spark a 12-3 Lady Tiger run which pushed the lead to 21 and would lead by as many as 30.

Kate Lehman led two Lady Tigers in double-figures with 14 points, nine rebounds and six blocks. Jill Faxon added 10 points and eight rebounds. Kate Edwards scored nine and pulled down 10 rebounds.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

 

Game Highlights

FHSU Sports Information

No. 6 Fort Hays State University fell, 33-12, to No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney in a home conference dual on Wednesday evening.

FHSU picked up wins from C.J. Napier (149), Jon Inman (184) and Trey Page (285) in the dual, but dropped to 6-4-1 on the year in its second Top 10 matchup in the last six days.  FHSU fell to No. 5 Central Oklahoma, last Thursday.

Napier’s victory was arguably the brightest spot of the evening, as he picked up an 8-7 decision over over second-ranked Brock Coutu.

Later in the dual, MIAA Wrestler of the Week Jon Inman pushed his win streak to seven matches with a pin over Matt Oliver at 3:42.

In the final match of the night, heavyweight Trey Page returned to the win column with a 4-2 decision against Kelsey Empting.

The Tiger wrestling program hosts the Kansas Cup this Saturday (Jan. 25) – a 10-team tournament of all Kansas schools sponsoring wrestling as a varsity sport – at Gross Memorial Coliseum.  Gates open at 8:30 a.m., with action scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.

Match Results
125 – Connor Bolling (Nebraska-Kearney) won by decision over Adam Ludwin (Fort Hays State), 3-2.
133 – Daniel DeShazer (Nebraska-Kearney) won by pin over Symon Seaton (Fort Hays State), 2:18
141 – Charles Napier (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Brock Coutu (Nebraska-Kearney), 8-7
149 – Tyler Anderson (Nebraska-Kearney) won by pin over Joey Dozier (Fort Hays State), 1:04
157 – Destin McCauley (Nebraska-Kearney) won by pin over Kregg Clarke (Fort Hays State), 4:32
165 – Brock Smith (Nebraska-Kearney) won in sudden victory 1 over Bradley Little (Fort Hays State), 9-7.
174 – Patrick Martinez (Nebraska-Kearney) won by decision over Josh Rodriguez (Fort Hays State), 6-3
184 – Jon Inman (Fort Hays State) won by pin over Matt Oliver (Nebraska-Kearney), 3:42
197 – Romero Cotton (Nebraska-Kearney) won by injury default over Zack Grimes (Fort Hays State), 2:14.
285 – Jack Page (Fort Hays State) won by decision over Kelsey Empting (Nebraska-Kearney), 4-2

MIAA Media Relations

Emporia State at Northeastern State 
WBB – NSU 59, #2 ESU 44
Northeastern State pulled off their second straight upset as they knocked off #2 Emporia State at home. NSU held ESU to just .246 shooting as they moved to 6-4 in the MIAA this season.

For the RiverHawks Fontana Tate led the way with 23 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Che’Ron Lewis had 12 points and dished five assists on the night. For the Lady Hornets Desiree Wylie was the leading scorer with nine points and Laura Patrick added eight points. On the glass Amber Vandiver had a game high 10 rebounds.

MBB – ESU 72, NSU 67
Emporia State picked up their fourth straight win as they picked up the come from behind victory at Northeastern State. ESU erased an 11 points halftime deficit as they moved to 6-3 in the MIAA this season.

The Hornets were led by Terrence Moore who had 17 points and Kaleb Wright who added 16 points. Paul Bunch finished the game with 11 points and a game high eight rebounds. For the RiverHawks Bryton Hobbs had a game high 21 points and Marcus Sheppard had seven rebounds. Curtis Evans had 12 points and seven rebounds while Dalen Qualls had 11 points and Michael Harmon added 10 points.

Central Missouri at Lincoln 
WBB – #8 UCM 71, LU 70
#8 Central Missouri erased a five-point halftime deficit as they picked up a victory on the road at Lincoln. UCM scored 24 points off of turnover and added 12 second chance points as they moved to 9-1 in league play.

For the Jennies Keuna Flax led the way with 35 points and eight rebounds and BreAnna Lewis added 16 points. Revonnia Howard had a double-double on the night with 13 points and 12 rebounds. For the Blue Tigers Jennifer Rosado led the way with 24 points and eight rebounds. Angela Randall had 18 points and seven boards and Hunter Yoakum added 11 points.

MBB – UCM 89, LU 61
Central Missouri shot .604 from the field as they picked up a win over Lincoln on the road. UCM pulled down 35 rebounds while holding LU to just 18 as they moved to 7-3 in league play.

For the Mules Charles Hammork led the way with 15 points and eight rebounds and Jordan Epps added 14 points. Dillon Deck had 13 points and TJ White had 10 rebounds on the evening. For the Blue Tigers Joshua Buie had 14 points, four rebounds and three assists. Mike Smith added 13 points and five rebounds while Mario Bass had seven assists.

Missouri Southern at Northwest Missouri 
WBB – MSSU 80, NWMSU 74
Missouri Southern scored 51 second half points as they picked up a victory on the road at Northwest Missouri. MSSU scored 23 points off of turnovers they moved to 7-2 in the MIAA this season.

For the Lions Sharese Jones had 20 points and pulled down six rebounds. Dominique Mosley scored 17 points and added seven rebounds while Shonte Clay had 19 points and six boards. For the Bearcats Ariel Easton led the way with 24 points on the night. Ashleigh Nelson had 16 points and Annie Mathews pulled down a team best six rebounds.

MBB – NWMSU 79, #22 MSSU 78
A jumped by DeShaun Cooper with three seconds to play gave Northwest Missouri a come from behind win at home over #22 Missouri Southern. NWMSU got 18 points off of turnovers as they moved to 9-1 in the league this season.

For the Bearcats Cooper led the way with 32 points and Dillon Starzl had 17 points and six rebounds. Bryton Williams finished with 11 points on the evening. For the Lions Lane Barlow led the way with 17 points and Greg Renfroe had a team best nine rebounds. Marquis Addison had 16 points and Jordan Talbert had 14 points and eight rebounds.

Nebraska-Kearney at Pittsburg State
WBB – PSU 83, UNK 73 OT

Pittsburg State scored 17 points in overtime period as they picked up a win over Nebraska-Kearney at home. PSU got 24 points from their bench as they moved to 5-3 on the year in league play.

For the Gorillas Lizzy Jeronimus had 31 points and pulled down seven rebounds. Cathy Brugman had 17 points and eight boards while Brigit Hesser added 10 points and Alex Muff pulled down nine boards. For the Lopers Sarah Hix led the way with 28 points and Shelby Zimmerman added 15 points. Amarah Williams had 11 points and pulled down a team best nine rebounds.

MBB – UNK 82, PSU 80
Nebraska-Kearney held off a late charge by Pittsburg State to pick up a victory on the road. UNK shot .545 from the field as they moved to 3-7 in MIAA play this season.

For the Lopers Ethan Brozek led the way with a double-double scoring 22 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. Connor Beranek had 21 points and Mike Dentlinger finished with 19 points. For the Gorillas Devon Branch had 20 points and Connor Kjer had a team best five rebounds. Jake Bullard added 16 points and Sam Pugh finished with 13 points in the game.

Southwest Baptist at Lindenwood 
WBB – LWU 71, SBU 66
Lindenwood scored 26 points off of turnovers as they picked up a victory over Southwest Baptist at home. LWU also got 18 points from their bench as they moved to 4-5 in league play.

For the Lions Jenny Rocha led the way with 18 points and Kessidy Gengenbacher had 17 points. Morgan Johnson had 13 points and Marissa Lehnig had 10 points and pulled down six boards. For the Bearcats Jacqui Zelenka had a team best 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Dilona Johnson had 12 points and Brook Duncan added 11 points on the night.

MBB – SBU 71, LWU 69
Rashaad Brown-Peterson hit a three-pointer with four second to play as Southwest Baptist won on the road at Lindenwood. SBU got 23 points from their bench as they moved to 2-7 in league play.

For the Bearcats Desi Barmore had 22 points and pulled down a team best nine rebounds. Brown-Peterson finished with 14 points while Jaywuan Hill added 10 points and Menas Stephens pulled down eight boards. For the Lions Michael Boos had 20 points and Garrett Reeg had a game high ten rebounds. Darris Smith added 15 points and Tyler Ressel had 13 points on the night.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

Despite their loss at Northeastern State Saturday, the Fort Hays State Lady Tigers remain ranked in the lastest WBCA/USA Today Division II top-25 poll. FHSU drops one-spot to No. 24 and are one of three teams from the MIAA in this week’s poll. Conference leading Emporia State moves up one to No. 2 while Central Missouri holds at No. 8.

The Central Region remains well represented with seven teams ranked and four receiving votes.

Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State are receiving votes.

See full poll below…

Rank	Institution – First Place Votes	Previous Rank	Record	Points
1	Bentley University (Mass.) -27	1	16-0	795
2	Emporia State University (Kan.) -4	3	17-0	766
3	Nova Southeastern University (Fla.) -1	4	14-0	729
4	Colorado Mesa University	5	15-0	680
5	Gannon University (Pa.)	2	17-1	647
6	Harding University (Ark.)	6	17-0	645
7	West Texas A&M University	7	13-1	600
8	University of Central Missouri	8	14-2	571
9	Drury University (Mo.)	10	14-1	529
10	Delta State University (Miss.)	9	13-1	526
11	Glenville State College (W.Va.)	12	14-2	450
12	Wayne State College (Neb.)	11	17-2	419
13	Rollins College (Fla.)	13	14-3	353
14	California State Polytechnic University – Pomona	17	12-2	337
15	Virginia State University	16	14-1	333
16	Quincy University (Ill.)	18	13-2	294
17	Tarleton State University (Texas)	T14	13-2	281
18	University of Indianapolis (Ind.)	T14	15-3	245
19	University of North Georgia	19	13-2	176
20	Adelphi University (N.Y.)	21	13-3	134
21	Wayne State University (Mich.)	20	12-2	124
22	Northern State University (S.D.)	NR	14-2	113
23	Lewis University (Ill.)	25	12-3	99
24	Fort Hays State University (Kan.)	23	12-3	65
25	Minnesota State University – Mankato	22	11-5	59

Dropped Out: Georgia College.

Others Receiving Votes: University of Alaska – Anchorage 56; Michigan Technological University 54; Georgia College 49; Edinboro University (Pa.) 47; University of Southern Indiana 29; Missouri Southern State University 17; Wingate University (N.C.) 17; Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania 15; Lenoir-Rhyne University (N.C.) 12; Northwest Nazarene University (Idaho) 12; University of District of Columbia 12; Concordia University (Minn.) 11; Saint Leo University (Fla.) 11; Indiana University of Pennsylvania 10; Saint Martin’s University (Wash.) 10; Saint Edwards University (Texas) 9; Carson-Newman College (Tenn.) 8; Saint Mary’s University (Texas) 8; Simon Fraser University (BC) 8; Stonehill College (Mass.) 6; Minot State University (N.D.) 3; Montana State University – Billings 3; Northern Michigan University 3; Young Harris College (Ga.) 3; Pittsburg State University (Kan.) 2; Augustana College (S.D.) 1; California State University – East Bay 1.

FHSU Sports Information

No. 6 Fort Hays State’s Jon Inman has been named MIAA Wrestler of the Week, as announced by the conference office Tuesday (Jan. 21). Inman closed out the week at 5-0 as an individual, helping the Tigers pick up two wins at the Midwest Duals.

Inman, a redshirt freshman from Branson, Mo., improved to 15-3 on the season after scoring 22 team points for the Tigers in five duals (four of which were regional matchups). Inman had two 1st period falls, a major decision and two decisions.

A breakdown of Inman’s wins is below:

• 6-4 decision vs. Znick Ferrell (No. 5 Central Oklahoma)
• 5-3 decision vs. Caleb Gerl (California Baptist)
• 16-8 major decision vs. Andrew Rodas (SW Minnesota State)
• 2:59 fall vs. Justin Berg (Minot State)
• 2:03 fall vs. Anthony Navarro (Northern State).

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

The Fort Hays State men’s basketball team is receiving more votes in this week’s NABC Division II top-25 poll. The Tigers, who were ranked as high as No. 15 earlier this season, are up to eight votes in the latest poll out Tuesday. Missouri Southern is the only MIAA team in the poll this week at No. 22. Conference leader Northwest Missouri State is also receiving votes.

Full poll below…

	Team	Record	Points
1.	West Liberty (W.Va.)	14-0	398	(14 first place votes)
2.	Florida Southern	17-0	381	(1 first place vote)
3.	Metropolitan State (Colo.)	14-1	363
4.	Tarleton State (Texas)	15-0	350
5.	Drury (Mo.)	14-1	322
6.	East Stroudsburg (Pa.)	16-0	319
7.	Bellarmine (Ky.)	13-1	295
8.	Cal State-San Bernardino	13-1	293	(1 first place vote)
9.	Southern Indiana	13-1	283
10.	Lincoln Memorial (Tenn.)	13-1	245
11.	Colorado School of Mines	14-1	220
12.	California Baptist	15-0	217
13.	South Carolina Aiken	14-2	206
14.	Minnesota State	16-3	158
15.	Indiana (Pa.)	14-2	154
16.	Indianapolis (Ind.)	12-2	151
17.	Montevallo (Ala.)	13-2	126
18.	Dixie State (Utah)	13-2	118
19.	Lewis (Ill.)	13-1	111
20.	Delta State (Miss.)	14-2	105
21.	Franklin Pierce (N.H.)	13-2	100
22.	Missouri Southern	13-2	78
23.	Lake Superior State (Mich.)	16-2	54
24.	Seattle Pacific (Wash.)	15-4	33
25.	GRU Augusta (Ga.)	14-2	26
Dropped out: Winona State (16), Western Washington (19), Chico State (25). Others receiving votes: Southern Connecticut State 16, Cal Poly Pomona 13, Cal State-Stanislaus 9, Fort Hays State (Kan.) 9, Western Washington 8, MIchigan Tech 7, Northwest Missouri State 7, Winona State (Minn.) 6, Hawaii Pacific 5, Georgia Southwestern 2, St. Mary’s (Texas) 2, Cal State-L.A. 1, Wisconsin-Parkside 1.

MIAA Media Relations

Nicholson was key in a pair of MIAA wins on the road for FHSU this past week. He averaged 23.0 points, 8.0 assists, 7.0 rebounds, and 2.5 steals per game, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 92.3 percent from the free-throw line. Nicholson buried a 3-point field goal to tie the game in regulation at Central Oklahoma and force overtime as the Tigers never led in the second half erasing an 11-point halftime deficit. It was the first tie or lead for FHSU in the game since the 8:34 mark of the first half. He went on to go 4-of-4 at the free-throw line in overtime and finish with 19 points and 9 assists in the comeback win. Five of his nine assists were to Dwayne Brunson, who had a team-high 31 points in the game.

Against Northeastern State, Nicholson scored 18 of his team-high 27 points in the second half, including a perfect 12-of-12 effort at the free-throw line after the half. He added seven assists against the RiverHawks. Nicholson missed just one free-throw in each contest. He went 24-of-26 at the line for the week (9-of-10 at UCO and 15-of-16 at NSU).

The 5-8 sophomore guard is a native of Wichita, Kan. where he competed at Wichita Northwest High School.

FHSU Sports Information

Fort Hays State’s Kate Lehman was named the MIAA Women’s Basketball Athlete of the Week for the third time this season, as announced by the conference Monday (Jan. 20).

Lehman, a junior from Newton, Kan., continued her top-level production in two MIAA games last week – averaging 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game while helping the Tigers go 1-1. She swatted seven shots on the road, and hit on 54 percent of her field goal attempts (13-of-24). Lehman also became a member of the 1,000 point club at Fort Hays State, dropping 18 against Central Oklahoma to break the point barrier. Her 19 points against Northeastern State were also a team-high.

This is the fourth Athlete of the Week award (and second consecutive) for the Tiger women’s basketball this season, three from Lehman and one from Chelsea Mason – who was given the award last week. FHSU hosts South Dakota School of Mines on Thursday (Jan. 23) at 5:30 p.m., and will travel to Pittsburg State on Saturday (Jan. 25).

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

The Fort Hays State Tigers used a 34-12 run spanning the first and second halves to erase an early eight-point deficit and defeat Northeastern State 79-65 Saturday afternoon at the NSU Event Center in Tahlequah, Oklahoma. The win extends the Tigers win streak six as they improve 14-3 and 6-3 in the MIAA. Northeastern State falls to 11-5 and also 6-3 in the conference.

NSU raced out to an early 10-2 lead but FHSU switched to a 2-3 zone defense which helped them close the first half on an 18-5 run and a 34-28 halftime lead. The Tigers pushed the lead to 15 with 14:01 to play. The RiverHawks scored the next eight to pull within seven but would get no closer.

Craig Nicholson hit 15-of-16 free throws (12-for-12 in the second half) and led three Tigers in double-figures with 27 points. He also grabbed seven rebounds, dished out seven assists and had four steals. Karson Konrade added 16 and Dwayne Brunson scored 13, all in the second half and also grabbed 12 rebounds.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights