AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Texas needed a win to keep any lingering Big 12 title hopes alive.

The Longhorns got it behind the same fourth-quarter formula they used a few weeks ago: Give up a late lead before quarterback Sam Ehlinger engineers a long drive to set up a Cameron Dicker field goal as time expires.

Dicker’s 26-yarder lifted the Longhorns to a 27-24 victory over No. 20 Kansas State on Saturday. The victory keeps Texas in the hunt for a return trip to the Big 12 championship game with three games left.

With two losses already, they’ll still need some help. But the Longhorns (6-3, 4-2) at least are still alive. They fought back after falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter, then rallied again after letting their own big lead evaporate.

“It could have been a really, really bad scene,” Texas coach Tom Herman said. “The win is obviously very important for us. The way that it happened, to be down 14-0 in the blink of an eye … We put ourselves on the ropes (this season) and we took a step toward swinging and scratching and clawing our way off.”

Dicker has booted two-game winners on the final play in Texas’ last three games. His 33-yarder beat Kansas in a wild 50-48 finish on Oct. 19.

Against Kansas, Ehlinger had 71 seconds to get the Longhorns within scoring range, and he did it with a frantic but crisp push. Against Kansas State, the Longhorns went 65 yards in 13 plays and sucked the final 6 minutes, 45 seconds off the game clock.

This time, Texas looked to be setting up for the field goal until Ehlinger surged into the end zone on a keeper. After an illegal formation penalty nullified the touchdown, Ehlinger fell on the ball the next play and Dicker trotted on for the kick

“As bad as we all wanted to score to cap off that drive, the smart thing was to set up the field goal and not let them get back on the field,” Ehlinger said.

Even that might have had some uncertainty.

Dicker’s regular holder, punter Ryan Bujcevski, didn’t play because of a broken collar bone. That left backup holder Chris Naggar handling the ball on the final play. The snap, hold and kick were flawless.

Dicker, who was seen entering the stadium before the game with his shirt untucked and unbuttoned under his sport coat, was as cool as ever.

“When Sam kneeled the ball, I saw the time,” Dicker said. “Whatever wins is cool.”

The win also made Texas bowl eligible.

Keaontay Ingram rushed for 139 yards and two second-half touchdowns for the Longhorns. His second one put Texas up 24-14 early in the fourth quarter. Kansas State rallied to tie it on Joshua Youngblood’s 98-yard kickoff return and Blake Lynch’s 45-yard field goal.

Kansas State’s Skylar Thompson passed for a career-high 253 yards. Thompson’s touchdown passes of 70 yards to Malik Knowles and 19 yards to Wykeen Gill had the Wildcats (6-3, 3-3, No. 16 College Football Playoff) rolling early. But Thompson passed for just 36 yards in the second half.

THE TAKEAWAY

Kansas State: Thompson was excellent early until Texas’ press coverage neutralized his receivers, and the Wildcats’ running game never developed. The Wildcats also got a bit sloppy with a rare fumble that ended a promising drive in the first half, and a dropped pass in the end zone in the fourth quarter. The drop would have been a difficult catch for Dalton Schoen, but he got both hands on the ball and was pulling it in before a Texas defender knocked it away.

Kansas State didn’t convert a third down in the second half.

“I thought he hung in there really well,” Kansas State coach Chris Klieman said. “They were bringing pressure and we were barely getting guys free.”

Texas: After early miscues, the Texas defense looked better than it has all season. A healthier secondary that returned All-Big 12 safety Caden Sterns locked down the Kansas State offense over the final three quarters. The secondary didn’t force any interceptions, but for once opposing receivers weren’t running wide open all over the field.

“We showed you all that this is what happens when we’re fully healthy,” Texas defensive tackle Keondre Coburn said. “This is a great team. Our defense is really good. We’ve just been hurt.”

POLL IMPLICATION

The loss will knock the Wildcats down and maybe out of the Top 25. The Longhorns, who were still among those getting votes, could return to the rankings. Voters may wait to see what Texas can do the next two weeks on the road at Iowa State and undefeated Baylor.

BIG PUNT RETURN

Texas came in ranked dead last among all Football Bowl Subdivision teams in punt returns with negative total yardage. Then Brandon Jones returned a punt 53 yards in the fourth quarter to set up Ingram’s second touchdown.

UP NEXT

Kansas State hosts West Virginia on No. 16.

Texas plays at Iowa State on Nov. 16

LAS VEGAS (AP) — As Xavier Sneed clutched his right ankle and writhed in pain on the floor in front of Kansas State’s bench near the end of the first half Saturday and coach Bruce Weber was more concerned with his senior guard’s long-term health just two games into the season.

The concern didn’t last long.

Sneed started the second half, eventually buried back-to-back 3-pointers that tied the game, finished with 19 points including the game-winner in overtime, and Kansas State defeated UNLV 60-56.

“He’s our senior, he’s our go-to guy, obviously he has the most points, he guards the best players,” Weber said. “He came back and he was huge.”

Montavious Murphy gave Kansas State a 54-52 lead with 1:10 left in overtime when he drove the baseline, drew a foul and converted the free throw. UNLV’s Amauri Hardy answered by dribbling around and through a pair of Kansas State defenders to hit a short jumper and tie the game at 54 with 44.2 seconds left.

But Sneed dropped in a mid-range jumper from the baseline to give K-State a 56-54 lead with :28 to play.

Mike McGuir and Sneed each drained two free throws in the final seconds to put the game out of reach.

“We had a tough shooting night in the first half, got it going, got some good, big time buckets from everybody,” Sneed said.

Cartier Diarra added 12 points and six assists for Kansas State, while McGuir contributed with nine points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.

The Wildcats overcame 37.3 percent shooting, as they hit just 22 of 59 from the floor, to erase a double-digit first-half deficit.

“Our guys just gutted it out,” Weber said. “I thought our guys stayed together. We had a lot of guys make big plays; we finally got some stops without fouling in the second half. At the end we made some big shots, made some big stops and that’s how you win games.”

Hardy led UNLV with 27 points, while Elijah Mitrou-Long chipped in with 10 points and Cheikh Mbacke Diong had four points and 11 rebounds.

Kansas State’s 19-10 run to start the second half, bolstered by Sneed’s 3-pointers, triggered its comeback.

After the Wildcats took a 35-33 lead with 10:20 left in the game – their first lead since the 18:33 mark of the first half – UNLV answered with a 5-0 run to get back in front, 38-35.

The teams traded baskets the rest of the way, with neither taking a lead bigger than three points until overtime.

The Runnin’ Rebels led 68.8 percent of the game, spanning 30 minutes and 58 seconds while Kansas State only held a lead for a little more than five minutes, 11.4 percent of the game.

“We gotta stay true to ourselves, gotta hang our hats on defense, not on offense,” Hardy said. “If we continue to get stops we put ourselves in chances to have more offensive possessions. A couple of times we slipped up and let guys get to the paint. Easy drives, give up the baseline, which puts us in rotation and that’s things we don’t want to do.”

UNLV also committed 25 turnovers, which Kansas State capitalized on by scoring 19 points.

“I was hoping we’d play little better, but we hung in there, we found a way to win (and) made the plays when it counted,” Weber said. “Our guys learned about game plan, staying together, fighting, persevering; you can win games in different ways.”

The Runnin’ Rebels seized control of the momentum in the first half after falling behind 4-0 early, using a 14-0 run to open a 10-point lead. Hardy led the charge with UNLV’s first 10 points of the game, including a pair from behind the 3-point line.

Outside of Hardy’s outburst for UNLV, neither team was impressive offensively, often showing signs of sloppiness to the tune of 23 first-half turnovers combined.

The Wildcats took advantage of UNLV’s miscues and stormed back with runs of 6-0 and 12-4 to get within two, at 18-16. But it was UNLV’s domination on the boards that helped it close the half with the last two buckets, including Hardy’s third 3-pointer to that point, giving the Rebels a 23-16 lead at the half.

UNLV outrebounded the Wildcats in the game 43-37.

“They’re one of the best defensive teams in the country,” Otzelberger said. “We probably need more ball movement, but they’re a top five defensive team in the country. It’s really impressive to hold a Big 12 champion program we have a lot of respect for to 16 first half points. We have to do better coming out and starting the second half.”

BIG PICTURE

Kansas State: The Wildcats are coming off a 25-win campaign and a loss to UC Irvine in the first round of the NCAA tournament. And while they were 7-5 in true road games last season, they were 0-3 vs. non-conference foes. Coach Bruce Weber said he wanted to schedule a true road game early in the season so his young team could “grow up fast.” It was the earliest non-conference road game in school history.

UNLV: Coach T.J. Otzelberger was looking for his players to match Kansas State’s physicality with an aggressive approach in the second half, knowing the defending Big 12 champions liked to pressure the ball and disrupt offensive rhythm the length of the court while forcing teams into tough shots. The much bigger Wildcats outscored UNLV 44-33 in the second half and overtime.

TURNING POINT: While Sneed’s back-to-back 3-pointers capped a 12-point burst to start the Wildcats in the second half, Murphy’s baseline drive in overtime that drew a foul, and his ensuing made free throw, gave Kansas State the momentum it needed down the stretch.

STAT OF THE NIGHT: The Runnin’ Rebels extended their NCAA-record streak for most consecutive games scoring at least one 3-pointer. Since the 3-point field goal was adopted by the NCAA in 1986-87, UNLV has converted at least one 3-pointer in all 1,072 games played.

UP NEXT

Kansas State: Host Monmouth on Wednesday.

UNLV: Visits California on Tuesday.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The No. 7/3 Fort Hays State women’s basketball team dominated early and late in a 67-54 win over Concordia-St. Paul Saturday (Nov. 9) The Tigers move to 2-0 to start the year for the fifth-consecutive year, while the Golden Bears finish the opening weekend 1-1.

Kacey Kennett led the team with 20 points in the win, including a pair of free throws with 8:05 to play that gave the Tigers the lead for good. The shots did more than that, however, as the first make gave the senior 1,000 points for her career. Kennett now sits at 1,004 career points, becoming the 21st player in program history to reach that threshold.

Lanie Page opened the game with a 3-pointer for the second time in as many days, propelling the Tigers to an early 9-2 lead. Concordia-St. Paul scored 10 of the next 12 points to take a 12-11 lead later in the quarter, handing the Tigers their first deficit of the season. FHSU responded by scoring the final 11 points of the quarter, holding CSP scoreless for the final 2:53 of game action.

Whitney Randall opened the run with a made jumper off a pass from Taylor Rolfs before Page made a put-back layup following an offensive rebound. The Wamego, Kan. senior tallied two more points at the charity stripe before Randall finished off the quarter with five points in less than a minute. Both Randall and Page scored seven points in the opening 10 minutes of action.

After knocking down 45 percent (9-of-20) from the floor in the opening quarter, FHSU went cold from the floor over the next 10 minutes. The Tigers made just one field goal in the second stanza on their final shot of the quarter, finishing 1-for-13 (7.7 percent). FHSU was able to maintain a halftime lead thanks to a 7-for-8 effort from the free-throw line. The Golden Bears mounted a rally thanks to five made 3-pointers in the frame (5-of-8, 62.5 percent).

Fort Hays State built the lead back up to nine midway through the third quarter thanks to six more points from Kennett, but another ice cold stretch from the Tigers allowed CSP back into the game. The Golden Bears closed the period on a 12-2 run, including a buzzer-beating layup to take a 46-45 lead into the final frame.

Kennett buried a 3-pointer early in the fourth to put the Tigers back on top before CSP answered right back with a triple of their own. Fort Hays State responded with a ferocious finish to the contest, using 19-2 run over the next seven minutes to seal the victory. The Tigers shot 6-of-9 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line over that stretch while forcing eight turnovers and making six steals on defense.

Kennett swiped an astounding five steals in the final quarter to help the Tigers take back control. She finished the game by matching her career-best with seven steals, becoming the first Tiger with at least seven steals in a game since December 2017 (Kennett, 7 steals vs. Midland, 12/19/17). The Olathe, Kan. senior also matched her career-high with a team-best five asssits.

After setting a new career-best with 14 rebounds Friday, Belle Barbieri eclipsed that mark with 16 boards in Saturday’s win. She added 13 points to record the eighth double-double of her career.

Page added 13 points, including a 6-for-6 effort from the charity stripe. Taylor Rolfs totaled six points, four assists, four rebounds and two steals. Jaden Hobbs totaled eight points, three assists and one steal, including six points in the final quarter to help the Tigers reestablish the lead.

Fort Hays State finished the game with a 35.4 percent (23-of-65) effort from the floor, just above CSP’s shooting percentage of 33.3 percent (18-of-54). The Tigers took care of the ball much better than they did on Friday, turning the ball over just 12 times. The defense was busy for the second day in a row, forcing 20 Golden Bear turnovers thanks in part to 12 steals. FHSU held a 45-38 edge in rebounding, including a 16-8 margin on the offensive glass.

The Tigers return to Hays next weekend to host a pair of non-conference opponents. FHSU makes its home debut against Adams State on Friday (Nov. 15) at 7 p.m. before hosting Cameron at 5 p.m. Saturday. Additionally, Nebraska-Kearney will take on the opposite teams two hours prior to FHSU’s first tip.

SHAWNEE, Okla. – Following their 6-1 rout of Southern Nazarene, Fort Hays State men’s soccer headed on the road Saturday night to face off against Oklahoma Baptist. FHSU proved victorious at the conclusion of 90 minutes plus an additional one minute and 20 seconds of play, defeating the Bison 3-2.

The Black and Gold, entered the contest 11-5-1, and now improve to 12 wins to round out the regular season.

FHSU struck first against the Bison when Arsenio Chamorro grabbed his third goal of the season. Chamorro, along with Agudelo began the fast break for the Tigers. With Agudelo running strong, he played an early cross to Chamorro who finished his shot at the far post.

Just three minutes later, Agudelo was in action again. Having already created one assist in the match, the senior forward turned his defender, took a big touch into the box, and finished at the far post for his 13th goal of the season.

Out of the half, Oklahoma Baptist began finding control within their play. In the 51st minute, Nalan Kentner was the receipient from a grounded cross by Dominic Gibson. Gibson played the ball across the six-yard box and Kentner tapped the ball into the back of the net.

Not even two minutes later, the Bison struck again and tied up the contest when Bruno Feirrera’s touch deflected off of a Tiger defender. Feirrera continued to collect the ball off of the defender and finished past the outstretched arms of Cullen Fisch.

Following the pair of Bison goals, the match was played evenly throughout the rest of the second half.

It wasn’t until the 91st minute that the a lead was regained. Santiago Agudelo was lead by a long ball down the middle of the field from Agustin Meza. Agudelo collected the bouncing ball and finished it past goalkeeper Elias Diaz, who had sprinted off of his line.

Agudelo finished the contest with two of the three FHSU goals on eight total shots, four of which hit the target. Collectively, the Tigers registered 17 shots in the 91 minutes of play. Chamorro also finished the night with a goal and an assist.

On the other end of the pitch, Fisch was needed for four saves during the match.

Ending the 2019 campaign atop the GAC, the Tigers clinched the regular season GAC title as well as home field advantage for the Great American Conference tournament next weekend (Nov. 15-Nov. 17).

Rogers State, who has accumulated a streak of five wins has been locked in as the second seed for the tournament, while the rest of placements are to be determined.

JOPLIN, Mo. – The Fort Hays State men’s cross country team posted a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships Saturday (Nov. 9). It is the Tigers’ best finish at the regional meet since 2006 when the Tigers placed fourth in the South Central Regional in Warrensburg, Mo. Fort Hays State totaled 144 points in the race that featured 27 teams and 192 individuals.

With the strong performance, the Tigers made a firm case for an at large bid into the 2019 NCAA Division II Cross Country National Championships. The top three teams in each of eight regions earn an automatic bid, with 10 more teams being selected from the remainder of the top-finishing teams across the country. FHSU will learn its fate when the full national championship field is announced on Monday (Nov. 11).

Three runners earned All-Region status for the Tigers, with all five scorers finishing in the top 46. Reed Rome finished 19th to earn All-Region honors, completing the 10-kilometer course in 31:21.4. Israel Barco (31:30.5) and Seppe van ‘t Westende (31:30.8) earned two of the final four spots on the All-Region podium, placing 22nd and 24th, respectively. Justin Moore navigated the course in 31:30.8, good for 33rd place. Robbie Schmidt turned in a time of 32:05.6, finishing 46th.

Host Missouri Southern captured its second consecutive regional title with a team score of 52 points, placing five runners in the top 20. Northwest Missouri State finished second, followed by Augustana in third. MSSU’s Gidieon Kimutai won the race for the second year in a row, turning in a time of 29:14.5.

After finishing fourth at the conference championships two weeks ago, the Tigers were the third-highest MIAA finisher Saturday. FHSU comfortably defeated Nebraska-Kearney, Pittsburg State, Central Missouri, Emporia State, Missouri Western, Washburn and Rogers State.

Complete FHSU Results
Place – Name – Time
19 – Reed Rome – 31:21.4
22 – Israel Barco – 31:30.5
24 – Seppe van ‘t Westende – 31:30.8
33 – Justin Moore – 31:50.5
46 – Robbie Schmidt – 32:05.6
49 – Peter Franklin – 32:15.8
65 – Kaleb Crum – 32:34.9

JOPLIN, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women’s cross country team wrapped up its 2019 schedule with a 13th-place finish at the NCAA Division II Central Region Championships Saturday (Nov. 9). Missouri Southern hosted 32 teams and 223 runners in the six-kilometer race at the Tom Rutledge Cross Country Course. The Tigers accumulated 371 points on the day.

Brooke Navarro led the Tigers with a time of 22:38.11, good for 36th place. Abigail Stewart finished 42nd after crossing the line in 22:43.17. Tessa Durnell moved up seven spots from her regional finish a year ago, placing 81st with a time of 23:17.89. Averi Wilson turned in a time of 23:51.59 to finish in 104th place, while Emily Salmans rounded out the top five in 115th place (24:01.93).

Augustana won the regional with a team total of 41 points. U-Mary, winners of the last two Central Region titles, finished second. MIAA champion Pittsburg State placed third. Ida Narbuvoll of U-Mary won the race with a time of 20:08.11.

After placing sixth at the MIAA Championships, the Tigers were the fifth-best league program this week, defeating Missouri Western, Emporia State, Washburn, Northwest Missouri State, Rogers State and Newman.

Complete FHSU Results
Place – Name – Time
36 – Brooke Navarro – 22:38.2
42 – Abigail Stewart – 22:43.2
81 – Tessa Durnell – 23:17.9
104 – Averi Wilson – 23:51.6
115 – Emily Salmans – 24:02.0
141 – Carson Pierce – 24:35.7
158 – Mya Navarro – 24:59.7

EDMOND, Okla. – Fort Hays State could not get much going offensively as it fell 3-0 to Central Oklahoma in the MIAA Tournament Quaterfinals on Friday night (Nov. 8). The Tigers wrap their season at 10-6-2, while the Bronchos advance to the semifinal round at 13-4-2.

The Bronchos outshot the Tigers 12-1 in the first half. Cailey Perkins was responsible for the only Tiger shot in the first 45 minutes. In the 28th minute, UCO’s Kelsie Eason was fouled in the box, prompting an early penalty kick opportunity. Eason stepped up and knocked in her 16th goal of the season. Just five minutes later, Eason extended the lead for the Bronchos. Taryn Kedzoir dribbled down the left side of the field and crossed in a ball into the box. Eason was able to head the crossing pass through Megan Kneefel for her second of the game and 17th of the year.

The Tigers were able to test UCO’s goalkeeper Kaitlyn Asher with four shots in the second half, but none found the back of the net. Central Oklahoma tripled their lead with a goal in the 66th minute. Meridith WIlson crossed the ball from the right side of the field, landing behind the Tiger backline at the feet of Haley Post. Post volleyed the deep cross over Kneefel and the Bronchos pulled further away, 3-0.

Central Oklahoma attacked Kneefel all night with 20 shots at the senior goalkeeper. Kneefel made 11 saves out of 14 shots on goal, closing the year with an individual record of 9-5-2. Haley Post led the way for the Bronchos with seven shots, all on goal.

Fort Hays State finished with five shots on the night, including two on goal. Jenna Prince led the Tigers with two shots and one on goal.

The Tigers had a strong defensive season, allowing less than a goal per match (0.92) to their opponents. Fort Hays State shutout opponents in nine of 18 matches in 2019.

RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – Fort Hays State picked up a win in its season opener on Friday night (Nov. 8) by a score of 88-78 over Arkansas Tech. The Tigers controlled the game for nearly 33 minutes until having to hold off a late push by the Wonder Boys.

The Tigers used strong defense in the first half to build a strong halftime lead of 13 points, 44-31. FHSU built a big lead early with an 18-0 run that spanned over seven minutes from the 15:33 to 8:07 marks, going up 27-8 early. FHSU held Arkansas Tech in single digits for the first 12 minutes until a bucket at the 7:55 mark snapped the big run. Arkansas Tech cut the lead back to 10 before FHSU eventually took the 13-point lead into halftime. FHSU shot 47 percent in the opening half, while holding ATU to 29 percent.

The Tigers stormed out of the gates in the second half with a 10-0 run to push their lead to 23, 54-31, when Arkansas Tech missed its first two shot attempts and turned the ball over twice. The lead hovered around 20 points for a while until the Tigers took their biggest lead of 25 points at the 12:52 mark, 61-36. The lead remained at 20 or more until an ATU bucket at 8:00 cut the lead to 19.

FHSU pushed the lead to at least 20 twice more until Arkansas Tech sped up the pace of play and started to make a run late. A 14-5 run by Arkansas Tech whittled the FHSU lead down to 11 by the 4:00 mark. FHSU pushed its lead back to 14, but ATU kept chipping away and cut the lead under 10 points with 2:02 to play. The Tigers saw their lead eventually trimmed to six with 21 seconds to play, but a pair of Aaron Nicholson free throws pushed the lead back to eight and put the game out of reach. Nicholson was big for the Tigers at the charity stripe down the stretch, where he went 6-of-6 over the final three minutes of the game.

Nyjee Wright led the Tigers with a career-high 22 points, shooting 8-of-13 from the field. He was also solid at the free-throw line with a 4-of-4 effort. He hit a pair of big shots late while the Wonder Boys were making their burst at the Tigers, hitting a floater in the lane after the lead dropped to nine and then a 3-point field goal with a minute remaining after the lead fell to eight.

Nicholson was the second-leading scorer for the Tigers with 16 points, while Devin Davis had 12. Gilbert Peters had a strong collegiate debut with 14 points, going 6-of-11 from the field. Davis and Peters led the way for FHSU in the first half, each with 10 points.

Dillon Gooding led the Arkansas Tech scoring effort with 22 points, hitting nine field goals, four of which were of the 3-point variety. Ramses Sandifer and R.J. Glasper each had 15 points.

FHSU finished the game at 43.7 percent from the field, while holding ATU on its home floor to 39.7 percent. FHSU won the battle on the glass 47-37, and the turnover column 18-12. The Tigers had 18 offensive rebounds, which allowed them to generate 19 second-chance points.

The Tigers now turn their focus to a matchup with Southwestern Oklahoma State on Saturday at 3 pm. The game will be available on radio in the Hays area on KFIX, 96.9 FM, while live stats and video will be available once again.

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team raced out to a 17-point second quarter lead then had to hold on as Minnesota Duluth pulled within four late in the Tigers 59-51 win in the season opener for both in the opening game of the Hillyard Tip-Off Classic at the St. Joseph Civic Arena.

The Tigers saw their 15-point halftime lead trimmed to 11 after three quarters. The Bulldogs used an 8-0 run over the third and fourth quarters to pull within eight early in the fourth.

Taylor Rolfs hit a left corner three to push the lead to nine with 1:35 to play but UMD scored five quick points to get within four with under a minute play.

After missing their first six free throws in the final period, FHSU made their final four to seal the win.

The Tigers won despite turning the ball over 20 times. The Bulldogs had 19 turnovers. A year ago UMD committed the fewest turnovers in Division II and the Tigers had their third fewest.

Lanie Page scored 14 points and pulled down five rebounds to lead the Tigers. Belle Barbiere scored nine while grabbing a career-best 14 rebounds. Rolfs and Whitney Randall both added eight points.

Brooke Olson led UMD, who lost in the first round of the NCAA II Central Regional in Hays a year ago, with 14 points. Payton Kahl added 11.

The Tigers play Concordia-St, Paul Saturday at 2 p.m. in St. Joseph. The game can be heard on Kay (94.3-fm, 1400-AM).

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – The Fort Hays State volleyball team played a decisive fifth set for the third time in the last two weeks Thursday, but the Tigers were unable to take advantage of the opportunity against Missouri Western. FHSU saved a pair of match points to tie things up at 14 in the final frame, but the Griffons later scored back-to-back points to win the final set, 17-15, and the match, 3-2 (25-17, 8-25, 20-25, 25-21, 15-17).

The Tigers are now 6-20 overall and 3-15 in conference play, while the Griffons are now 15-11 on the year and 9-8 in league action.

After the teams went back and forth early in the first set, the Tigers used a 14-5 run to pull away late and win the set, 25-17. FHSU posted an efficient .250 attack percentage, totaling 15 kills and just five attack errors.

The momentum of the first-set win did not last long, as Missouri Western scored 19 of the first 20 points in the second set to take a commanding lead. The Tigers scored five straight points later in the set, but it was too little, too late for FHSU.

Missouri Western continued the hot streak early in the third set, jumping out to a 13-6 lead. FHSU bounced back to score the next six points, closing within one. The Griffons managed to respond just before the Tigers tied things up, scoring the next three points to pad the lead to four. The Tigers closed within three on five more occasions but could never get any closer.

The Tigers recorded their best offensive performance of the night to tie things up in the fourth set, posting a swing rate of .350 (18-4-40). The teams traded points until the midway point when FHSU tallied four points in a row, turning a 13-13 tie into a 17-13 lead. That advantage was all the Tigers would need to hold on and force a decisive fifth set.

Missouri Western came out firing in the fifth set, doubling up the Tigers midway through the frame, 10-5. Two Tiger kills and two attack errors helped FHSU close within one, 10-9. The Griffons regained control to soon reach match point at 14-12, but the Tigers fought off both match point opportunities to stay alive. The teams traded the next two points before MWSU closed the match with back to back points, winning the fifth set 17-15.

Delaney Humm led the Tigers with 17 kills and added a season-high 21 digs while Tatum Bartels recorded 14 kills to just four errors on 31 swings. Mykah Eshbaugh added a season-high nine kills on just 21 swings. Katie Darnell led the team with 25 assists and Abbie Hayes paced the Tigers with 24 digs.

The Tigers will return to Hays to wrap up the regular season one week from Friday on Nov. 15. FHSU will host Pittsburg State at noon before taking on Missouri Southern at noon on Saturday (Nov. 16).

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State men’s soccer, most recently ranked No. 9 within NCAA Super Region 3, have clinched the regular season Great American Conference title in their inaugural season with a 6-1 victory over Southern Nazarene on senior night.

FHSU now boasts three consecutive regular season conference championships-collecting two straight (2017 and 2018) in the MIAA and now their first in the GAC.

Improving to 11-5-1 on the season, the Tigers have defeated the Crimson Storm twice in 2019 pushing the all-time series between the two programs to 9-1 in favor of the Black and Gold.

Fittingly, two seniors began the scoring in the first half for Fort Hays State. Forward Santiago Agudelo found the back of the net off of a throw-in by Nathan De La Hoya. Using his body to shield his defender, Agudelo slipped the ball through the legs of goalkeeper Bence Mocsari for his 10th goal of the season.

The Tigers remained in control throughout the match, registering 14 shots on goal of 21 total attempts.

Agudelo followed up 13 minutes later, finishing another goal scoring opportunity. A pass from. Arsenio Chamorro sent De La Hoya free sprinting down the left-hand side of the field. The junior, with just one defender to beat, played a grounded cross to Agudelo, who was unmarked. He dribbled the ball around the goalkeeper and clocked in his 11th goal of the season.

In the 38th minute, Sergio Villalba continued the senior night theme as he ran onto a ball played across the 18-yard box and finished it for the third goal of the evening.

Villalba snagged his second goal of the match in the 42nd minute, beating a diving Mocsari to the left of the goal.

Agudelo took under five minutes in the second half to get his name back on the scoresheet. A ball was played through the middle of the field and found it’s way to the left wing. De La Hoya played a pass that slipped Agudelo through on goal as he completed his hat trick by beating Mocsari to the near post.

Southern Nazarene’s Josh Gray was able to put a tally on the board in the 69th minute on an assist from Alexandre Silva. However, Moises Peralta restrengthened the goal margin with 12 minutes left in the match.

On an assist from Antonio De La Torre and Franklin Solorio, Peralta chested the ball down in the box and blasted a shot into the top right hand corner of the goal.

Defensively, the FHSU’s Cullen Fisch faced just seven shots and notched a save in his sixth victory this season.

For their final match of the 2019 campaign, FHSU will travel to Shawnee, Okla. and faces off against Oklahoma Baptist on Saturday (Nov. 9). The Bison are 5-10-1 on the season following their latest victory over Southern Nazarene on Friday, Nov. 1.

Overall, the Tigers own the series against the Bison, claiming a 4-0 record between the two sides.

HAYS, Kan. – The 17th-ranked Fort Hays State wrestling team unofficially opened the 2019-20 season Wednesday with the annual Black and Gold Scrimmage inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. After trailing for much of the evening, the Black squad rallied for a 42-40 victory, the fourth win in the last five years for the black team.

With the depth up and down this year’s roster, the Tigers opted for a slightly different format for the 2019 edition of the scrimmage. In four weight classes (125, 133, 149, 285) a pair of wrestlers battled for a chance to advance and take on one more teammate in round two. In two weight classes (174, 197) head coach Chas Thompson sent four wrestlers to the mat, facing off in a pair of semifinal bouts before wrestling in a championship and consolation match in round two. Two more weight classes (157, 184) featured just one matchup.

Five Tigers came away with two wins on the night, including one true freshman, one redshirt-freshman, one sophomore and two juniors.

Mason Turner came away victorious at 125 pounds, winning his first match with a pin late in the first period before earning a major decision in the championship bout.

Jonathan Ball captured a pair of wins at 149 pounds, pinning his first opponent midway through the opening round before earning a tech fall win in his second match of the night.

Efe Osaghae battled his way through a loaded 174-pound class, earning a pair of close decisions.

Tereus Henry came away victorious in the 197-pound tournament, recording a pin with just seconds remaining on the clock in the opening round of his first bout before holding on for a 9-6 decision in the championship bout.

A.J. Cooper took down both of his opponents via pin to secure the victory at 285 pounds. Entering the final bout of the evening needing at least a major decision to help his team to victory, the junior managed to shake off an early takedown and pick up his second pin of the night midway through the second period, completing the comeback.

After their final tune-up Wednesday, the Tigers will head to St. Louis, Mo. to open the regular season Saturday (Nov. 9) at the Maryville Kaufman/Brand/Bayly Open, hosted by Maryville University. Action is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m.

The Tigers have five home dates on the schedule for the 2019-20 season, including three duals and two tournaments. FHSU begins its home schedule on Dec. 7 with the annual Bob Smith Open before wrapping up the year by hosting one of six NCAA DII Super Regionals on March 1.

Full results from the 2019 Black and Gold Scrimmage can be found below.

Round One
Wt	Winner	Result	Team Score
125	Mason Turner (Gold) defeats Collin Cole	Fall 2:30	Gold leads 6-0
133	Devin Onwugbufor (Gold) defeats Payton Sadowski	Fall 4:15	Gold leads 12-0
149	Jonathan Ball (Black) defeats Kadin Heacock	Fall 1:13	Gold leads 12-6
157	Anthony Scantlin (Gold) defeats Colten Ballentine	TF 21-3	Gold leads 17-6
174	Efe Osaghae (Black) defeats Nick Lucas	Dec 5-2	Gold leads 17-9
174	Marty Verhaeghe (Gold) defeats Nathan Dotson	Maj 10-2	Gold leads 21-9
184	Aryus Jones (Black) defeats Clint Herrick	Maj 11-0	Gold leads 21-13
197	Ryan Tiers (Black) defeats Elias Robles	Fall 6:00	Gold leads 21-19
197	Tereus Henry (Gold) defeats Jarod Camacho	Fall 2:56	Gold leads 27-19
285	A.J. Cooper (Black) defeats LJ Flax	Fall 2:07	Gold leads 27-25
Round Two
Wt	Winner	Result	Team Score
125	Mason Turner (Gold) defeats Broderick Green	Maj 9-1	Gold leads 31-25
133	Conrad Cole (Black) defeats Devin Onwugbufor	Dec 9-3	Gold leads 31-28
149	Jonathan Ball (Black) defeats Josh Lenker	TF 18-3	Black leads 33-31
174 Champ.	Efe Osaghae (Black) defeats Marty Verhaeghe	Dec 4-2	Black leads 36-31
174 Cons.	Nick Lucas (Gold) defeats Nathan Dotson	Fall 1:53	Gold leads 37-36
197 Champ.	Tereus Henry (Gold) defeats Ryan Tiers	Dec 9-6	Gold leads 40-36
285	A.J. Cooper (Black) defeats Jordan Davis	Fall 4:11	Black wins 42-40

INDIANAPOLIS – In the latest NCAA Regional poll, Fort Hays State University is ranked in the ninth slot. The Tigers were previously ranked seventh in Super Region 3, but a loss to Newman has watched them fall two positions.

At 10-5-1, the Tigers will be competing to secure the GAC conference title tomorrow nigh at 6 p.m. (Nov. 7) in Hays, Kan. when they take on Southern Nazarene. To cap off their season, FHSU will hit the road to face Oklahoma Baptist whom the Black and Gold are 5-0 against all-time. That game is schedule for Saturday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 p.m.

Against Southern Nazarene, Fort Hays State will still be defending their home win streak, which currently sits at 23 matches.

Rogers State is the only other Great American Conference program to notch a spot in the regional rankings, coming in at No. 12.

The top three positions remain untouched from the original poll that released on October 27, 2019. Lake Erie owns the top spot, followed by Bellarmine and Ohio Valley.

Below are the NCAA Super Region Rankings for November 6, 2019:

Super Region 3
Rank	School	In-Region Record	DII Record
1	Lake Erie	17-1	17-1
2	Bellarmine	13-0-4	13-0-4
3	Ohio Valley	10-3-2	10-3-2
4	Maryville (MO)	14-2-2	14-2-2
5	McKendree	13-2-2	13-2-2
6	UIndy	12-4-1	12-4-1
7	Cedarville	8-2-6	8-2-6
8	Tiffin	8-4-4	8-4-4
9	Fort Hays St.	10-5-1	10-5-1
10	Walsh	8-5-2	10-5-2
11	Davenport	9-4-1	9-6-1
12	Rogers St.	11-4-1	11-4-1