NEW ORLEANS – Three Fort Hays State men’s track and field athletes have been named United States Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) All-Central Region honorees. The list was released Monday (Feb. 26), with 559 male athletes earning the nods. The three Tigers claiming a spot on the list are Decano Cronin, Sam Dreiling and Brett Meyer.

The top-5 individuals in each event from each region earned the all-region distinction, in addition to each regions’ top-3 relay teams. The regions for this award include – Atlantic, Central, East, Midwest, South, South Central, Southeast and West.

Cronin earned his All-Central Region honor in the 800-meters after boasting a time of 1:49.45. This time was also good enough for a national automatic qualification mark, as well as a personal record. To add on, it was also a school and meet record at the MIAA Indoor Championships.

Dreiling picked up his mention with his fifth place finish at the championships with a height of 4.72 – good enough for a provisional. Meyer claimed two honors in both the 800-meters and mile. Meyer was crowned the conference champion in the mile at the MIAA Championships with a time of 4:13.

PITTSBURG, Kan. – The Fort Hays State baseball team came up on the losing end of both games in Sunday’s (Feb. 25) doubleheader against Pittsburg State, 12-2 and 7-3. The Tigers dip to 7-5 overall while Pittsburg State is now 8-4 on the year. It was the MIAA opener for both teams.

Game One: Pittsburg State 12, Fort Hays State 2 (8 innings)
The Tigers jumped in front after Addison Kaasch led off the day with a triple to right center and scored on an RBI groundout from Clayton Basgall. The Gorillas showed off their offensive prowess early and often, scoring eight runs over the first three innings to quickly take control.

After just two runners reached base from the second through sixth innings, Fort Hays State added another run when Ryan Grasser singled up the middle to open the seventh frame. Jordan Wilkerson and Jason Nicholson followed with singles to load the bases with no outs. Dawson Sramek was hit by a pitch two batters later, helping the Tigers close within 10-2.

The Gorillas scored their 12 runs on 12 hits and three Tiger errors, while FHSU put together six hits. Tanner Smith (1-1) took the loss after allowing six runs on six hits over 1.2 innings of work.

Game Two: Pittsburg State 7, Fort Hays State 3
Fort Hays State once again took an early lead in game two, holding onto the advantage for much of the game. However, Pittsburg State scored six runs over the sixth and seventh innings to secure the come-from-behind victory.

After stranding runners in scoring position in both the first and second innings, the Tigers put together a two-out rally to jump in front in the third inning. Nicholson worked a walk to lead things off before the next two batters were retired. A walk to Alex Weiss brought Dayton Pomeroy to the plate with two on and two out. The senior first baseman crushed his fourth home run of the season to center, giving FHSU a 3-0 advantage.

Starting pitcher Ryan Ruder held PSU at bay over the first five innings, giving up just one run and allowing just five baserunners during that span. The Gorillas chased Ruder from the game in the sixth inning after back-to-back singles, both of which came in to score later in the inning before PSU added four runs on the bullpen in the seventh inning.

Nicholson reached base in all four of his at bats in game two, collecting two singles and drawing two walks. Ryan Grasser added two hits, including one double. The Tigers had seven hits as a team, while PSU collected a dozen base knocks for the second game in a row.

The teams will wrap up the series on Monday (Feb. 26) with first pitch set for 1 p.m.

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Just like the men’s distance medley relay, the Fort Hays State women were crowned champions in the event at the 2018 MIAA Indoor Championships. However, the squad not only set a school record, but now boast the meet record. Three other events are coming back to FHSU with All-MIAA honors after the teams competed in Pittsburg all weekend.

Lindsay Roberts, Lauren Roberts, Kelly Wycoff and Grace Buessing achieved the first place finish in the distance medley relay after hitting a record-setting time of 12:01. The quad earned All-MIAA honors with the big win. This relay also earned a provisional for their time. Lindsay Roberts also claimed All-MIAA honors in the mile with her second place finish at 5:02. This time claims both a new personal record as well as a new school record. Her sister, Lauren finished right behind in third place as she also earned All-MIAA honors with her time of 5:03.

Haile Turner produced a provisional and personal record in the pole vault with her sixth place finish at 12 feet, 4 inches. With this mark, Turner now ranks 14th in the nation in her event. Other top-ten finishes in field events were completed by Summer Kragel (fifth) and Haley Jones (eighth) in the high jump and Courtney Geiger hitting a personal record in the shot put at 43 feet, 10 ½ inches to place eighth. Rohey Singhateh earned seventh place in the long jump with her distance of 18 feet, 5 inches.

On the track, eight Tigers placed in the top ten throughout the championships. Amber Forbes took two high-place finishes by claiming fifth in both the 60-meters (7.65) and 200-meters (25.06). The 60-meter time was good for a provisional for Forbes. Both Yessenia Gonzales and Chelsea Jackson claimed two high finishes over the weekend. Gonzales too fifth in both the 5,000-meters (17:44) and the 3,000-meters (10:09). Both times were good for personal records. Jackson went sixth in the 5,000-metes with a time of 18:07 and a mark of 10:30 for a tenth place finish in the 3,000-meters. Lauren and Lindsay Roberts added to the top-ten finishes in the 3,000-meters with Lauren running in 10:28 for eighth place and Lindsay in at 10:18 in sixth place.

The Tigers ended the meet with 55.25 total team points to finish in sixth place. Pittsburg State claimed the team title with 180.50 total team points.

Final Team Standings
1. Pittsburg State – 180.5
2. Central Missouri – 77.25
3. NW Missouri State – 67
4. Missouri Southern – 62.5
5. Southwest Baptist – 59
6. Fort Hays State – 55.25
7. Lincoln (Mo.) – 54
8. Lindenwood – 33.25
9. Nebraska-Kearney – 30.25
10. Washburn – 30
11. Central Oklahoma – 18
12. Missouri Western – 18
13. Emporia State – 16

PITTSBURG, Kan. – Decano Cronin earned the first FHSU automatic mark and multiple other Tigers captured conference titles in numerous events as the MIAA Indoor Championships was completed over the weekend. The past three days, the Fort Hays State men’s track and field team has been competing at Pittsburg State for the 2018 installment of the conference championships.

Cronin captured the biggest mark throughout the meet as he claimed the 800-meters with a time of 1:49.95. This time not only gave him an automatic mark in Division II, but also set FHSU and meet records. Cronin was also a member of the men’s 4×400 relay which also set a new FHSU record and earned a provisional after coming in fifth place with a time of 3:16.6. Jacob Schumacher, Brett Meyer and Malcom Gardner were the other members of that squad. Oscar Carmona, Meyer, Gardner and Israel Barco also set a new meet record in the distance medley relay with their first place finishing time of 10:01.

Meyer took the men’s mile conference championship with his finishing mark of 4:13 to give him All-Conference honors. Kyle Comstock, who placed third in the 60m hurdles with a time of 8.2, and Kolt Newell with his second place mark of 6 feet, 9 inches were the other Tiger All-MIAA earners. Both Comstock and Newell earned provisional marks.

Other notable finishes throughout the meet include sixth place finishes from Malcom Gardner in the 200-meters (21.87), and Matthew Pieper in the heptathlon 4,914 points). Pieper’s point total was good enough for a provisional. Jake Morrow, one the nation’s top pole vaulters, finished tied for fifth in the event with a height of 16 feet, 3 ½ inches. Sam Dreiling placed ninth in the pole vault at 15 feet, 5 ¾ inches. Both Dreiling and Morrow earned another provisional.

Carmona also earned a seventh place finish in the mile, crossing the line at 4:19. Coming in eighth place in the heptathlon was Derek Bixenman with 4,849 points, good enough for a Division II provisional.

The Tigers ended the meet with 59.50 total team points to finish in sixth place. Pittsburg State claimed the team title for the second-straight season with 141 points.

Final Team Standings
1. Pittsburg State – 141
2. Emporia State – 93
3. Central Missouri – 85.5
4. Lincoln (Mo.) – 81
4. Missouri Southern – 81
6. Fort Hays State – 59.5
7. Nebraska-Kearney – 39.5
8. Washburn – 38
9. NW Missouri State – 33
10. Lindenwood – 27.5
11. Southwest Baptist – 15
12. Missouri Western – 7

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Fort Hays State dropped its final two games at the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament, hosted by St. Cloud State University. The Tigers fell to Minnesota State, the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, 7-1 before dropping a contest to tournament host St. Cloud State 6-4. The Tigers moved to 2-14 overall on the season.

#1 Minnesota State 7, Fort Hays State 1
Minnesota State went on top 2-0 after an inning and never let go of the lead, scoring five runs over the fifth and sixth innings to pull away for a 7-1 win. The Mavericks remained undefeated on the year, moving to 8-0.

Megan Jamison started the game in the pitching circle for the Tigers, but could not record an out giving up hits to the first three batters. Sierra Rodriguez relieved for the remainder of the game. Two of the runners allowed on base by Jamison scored as the Mavericks recorded a total of four hits in the inning.

The Tigers scored their only run in the second inning on a Sara Breckbill RBI single. Bailey Boxberger led off the inning with a walk, moved up to second on a sacrifice bunt, then moved to third on a single by Bailey Kennedy. She came in to score on the hit by Breckbill.

Rodriguez held the Mavericks scoreless until the fifth, when an RBI single up the middle pushed the MSU lead to 3-1. An error extended the inning and a two-run double plated a pair of unearned runs. In the sixth, MSU tacked on two more with an RBI double and single with two outs.

Jamison took the loss for FHSU, moving to 0-1, while Rodriguez scattered nine hits with five runs allowed (three earned), two strikeouts, and a walk over six innings of work.

Caitlin Stone moved to 2-0 for the Mavericks, tossing a complete game with five hits and a walk allowed to go with her three strikeouts.

St. Cloud State 6, Fort Hays State 4
Fort Hays State fell victim to a big fifth inning by St. Cloud State as the game turned in a matter of moments. FHSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but a six-run fifth vaulted the Huskies into the lead. SCSU held on for a 6-4 decision over the Tigers, moving to 9-1 overall on the season.

Home runs caused the majority of damage in this game. FHSU took a 3-0 lead in the third inning on a three-run homer by Bailey Boxberger after Lily Sale reached by error and Candace Bollig singled earlier in the inning.

Hailey Chapman cruised along through four innings before running into trouble in the fifth. A pair of singles with one out triggered St. Cloud’s big rally. Libby Bingham brought home both with a double, cutting the FHSU lead to 3-2. A walk and another well placed infield single loaded the bases and then the biggest blow came from Morgan Emmans with a grand slam.

Sierra Rodriguez relieved for Chapman starting in the sixth and held the Huskies scoreless for an inning. Grace Philop led off the seventh with a solo home run, but the Tigers could not get anything else going as they fell by a pair of runs.

Chapman moved to 0-8 on the year with the loss. Kylie Thomsen went the distance for SCSU, allowing four runs (one earned) on six hits with two strikeouts. She is now 7-0 on the year.

Fort Hays State returns home to host a pair of non-conference games against Wayne State (Neb.) on Wednesday (Feb. 28), starting at 2 pm.

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – Fort Hays State fell to Sioux Falls by a score of 2-0 on Saturday (Feb. 24) at the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament. The Tigers scratched out just one hit and could not take advantage of six walks allowed along with a hit by pitch. FHSU moved to 2-12 overall, while Sioux Falls improved to 2-3 overall.

Like Friday’s loss to Augustana, the opponent did all of its damage in one inning against FHSU. Sioux Falls plated two runs thanks to a double followed by a two-run home run by Frankie Mickelson in the sixth inning to break a scoreless tie.

Tiger pitcher Hailey Chapman went the distance in the game, shutting the Cougars out for five innings. She did not allow a hit through the first three innings. Despite her two-run blemish in the sixth, Chapman struck out four and allowed eight hits with two walks.

Sioux Falls used a pair of pitchers in the game to combine for one hit allowed. Starter Kerrigan Hoshaw allowed one hit and four walks, but did not get a decision in her four innings pitched due to the game being scoreless when she handed the ball over to reliever Courtney Mathews. The USF reliever tossed three innings of no-hit ball, with two walks and a hit batter. Lily Sale had the only hit for FHSU to lead off the third.

The Tigers had runners reach scoring position in just two innings, both times at second base. They had a pair of runners on at first and second with one out in the seventh, but a lineout and pop out ended the game.

The Tigers play two games on Sunday at the tournament. They face No. 1 ranked Minnesota State at 7 am before taking on tournament host St. Cloud State at 11 am.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State will be the No. 7 seed and host Lindenwood Tuesday night in the opening round of the MIAA Tournament. The winner advances to the quarterfinals where they will face No. 2 seed Missouri Southern at 2:15pm Friday.

Northwest Missouri, who wrapped up the outright MIAA title with their win over Lincoln Saturday, is the top seed. The Bearcats will await the winner of #8 Pittsburg State and #9 Lincoln in a game that will be played at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27 in Pittsburg, Kan.

Washburn has picked up the third seed and will face either #6 Nebraska Kearney or #11 Southwest Baptist when they face off on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. in Kearney, Neb. Central Oklahoma will be the fourth seed in the tournament and await the winner of #5 Central Missouri and #12 Missouri Western who face off on Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. in Warrensburg, Mo.

Men’s quarterfinals on Kansas City are slated for 12:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Friday, March 2 from Municipal Auditorium.

Tuesday, February 27, 2018 (Campus Sites)
Game 1: #9 Lincoln at #8 Pittsburg State 7:00 p.m.
Game 2: #12 Missouri Western at #5 Central Missouri 7:00 p.m.
Game 3: #11 Southwest Baptist at #6 Nebraska Kearney 7:00 p.m.
Game 4: #10 Lindenwood at #7 Fort Hays State 7:00 p.m.

Friday, March 2, 2018 (Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.)
Game 5: #3 Washburn vs. Winner Game 3 12:00 p.m.
Game 6: #2 Missouri Southern vs. Winner Game 4 2:15 p.m.
Game 7: #1 Northwest Missouri vs. Winner Game 1 6:00 p.m.
Game 8: #4 Central Oklahoma vs. Winner Game 2 8:15 p.m.

Saturday, March 3, 2018 (Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.)
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 6:00 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 8:15 p.m.

Sunday, March 4, 2018 (Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.)
Game 11: Semifinal Winners 3:30 p.m.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Fort Hays State women are the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament and will play the winner between Emporia State and Northeastern State in the first quarterfinal round game at noon Thursday at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. The Hornets and RiverHawks play in the first round Monday at White Auditorium in Emporia.

Central Missouri, who wrapped the MIAA regular season title earlier this week, earned the top seed. The Jennies will play the winner of #8 Missouri Southern and #9 Lindenwood in a game that tips at 7 p.m. on Feb. 26 from Joplin, Mo.

Pittsburg State earned the second seed and will await the winner of #7 Washburn and #10 Southwest Baptist who will play on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in Topeka, Kan.

Central Oklahoma earned the fourth seed and will await the winner of #5 Nebraska-Kearney and #12 Missouri Western who will face off on Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. in Kearney, Neb.

Women’s quarterfinals on Kansas City are slated for 12:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 1 from Municipal Auditorium.

Monday, February 26, 2018 (Campus Sites)
Game 1: #9 Lindenwood at #8 Missouri Southern 7 p.m.
Game 2: #12 Missouri Western at #5 Nebraska Kearney 7 p.m.
Game 3: #11 Northeastern State at #6 Emporia State 7 p.m.
Game 4: #10 Southwest Baptist at #7 Washburn 7 p.m.

Thursday, March 1, 2018 (Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.)
Game 5: #3 Fort Hays State vs. Winner Game 3 12:00 p.m.
Game 6: #2 Pittsburg State vs. Winner Game 4 2:30 p.m.
Game 7: #1 Central Missouri vs. Winner Game 1 6:00 p.m.
Game 8: #4 Central Oklahoma vs. Winner Game 2 8:15 p.m.

Saturday, March 3, 2018 (Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.)
Game 9: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 12:00 p.m.
Game 10: Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 6:00 p.m.

Sunday, March 4, 2018 (Municipal Auditorium Kansas City, Mo.)
Game 11: Semifinal Winners 1:00 p.m.

LAS VEGAS, N.M. – The Fort Hays State wrestling team is sending four Tigers’ to the NCAA Division II Championships on Friday and Saturday (Mar. 9-10) in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At the NCAA Midwest Super Regional on Saturday (Feb. 24), Efe Osaghae claimed a runner-up finish at 149 pounds, while Rakim Dean (197) earned a third-place finish and both No. 3 Brandon Ball (141) and Ryne Cokeley (157) captured fourth-place finishes to solidify spots at Nationals.

After going 3-0 on day one and sealing his birth at nationals, fourth-ranked Osaghae fell in the title bout in a 5-4 decision at the hands of fifth-ranked Daxton Gordon of California Baptist.

Senior Rakim Dean was the fourth Tiger to qualify for nationals after defeating Donavon Rincon of CSU-Pueblo with a 9-1 major decision and Garrett Strang of California Baptist in the consolation championship with a 6-1 decision to claim a third-place finish. Dean will make his first appearance at the DII National Championships.

For the second-straight season, third-ranked Ball earned a trip to the NCAA DII Championships. This time around, the sophomore took home a fourth-place finish at regionals. In his first match of the day, Ball returned the favor to Clay Archer of CSU-Pueblo as he claimed a 10-0 major decision victory this go-around. Ball dropped the consolation championship to Dylan Udero of Adams State in overtime, 6-4.

Junior Ryne Cokeley qualified for nationals in his first season as a Tiger. Cokeley claimed a fourth-place finish after defeating Bryan Dutton of Central Oklahoma in the consolation semifinals with a 6-2 decision before falling to Matt Malcom of Nebraska-Kearney for the second time this weekend in a 10-2 major decision.

Fort Hays State finished sixth in the team standings. California Baptist won the super regional with 114.5 points, followed by Nebraska-Kearney with 111 and Adams State with 90.

Team Scores
1. California Baptist 114.5
2. Nebraska-Kearney 111.0
3 Adams State 90.0
4 CSU-Pueblo 84.5
5 Western State 73.5
6 Fort Hays State 72.0
7 Central Oklahoma 59.5
8 Simon Fraser 44.0
9 San Francisco State 42.5
T10 Colorado Mesa 38.5
T10 Newman 38.5
12 Ouachita Baptist 28.0
13 Colorado School of Mines 27.5
14 Chadron State College 24.0
15 New Mexico Highlands 15.0

ST. CLOUD, Minn. – A four-run fifth inning by Augustana was too much for Fort Hays State to overcome in a 4-3 loss on Friday evening (Feb. 23) in the Kelly Laas Memorial Tournament. The Tigers scored a run in the seventh to get within one, but it was not enough as they moved to 2-11 on the season. Augustana moved to 5-4.

The Tigers took the lead early with a run in the bottom of the third on a Tess Gray RBI single. Candace Bollig drew a walk and eventually came in to score from second on Gray’s hit.

Hailey Chapman cruised through the first four innings, allowing just one hit, before running into trouble in the fifth. She allowed a double and single, then Sierra Rodriguez relieved in her place. Rodriguez could not stop the Vikings’ momentum as an infield single loaded the bases, then a single down the left field line plated two runs. A double plated two more and all of the sudden Augustana led 4-1.

The Tigers answered with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Lily Sale led off the inning with a single and eventually came in to score on a sacrifice fly by Grace Philop. With one out, though, the Tigers could not push any more runs across, stranding runners at second and third.

The Tigers threatened to tie the game in their last at bat as Sale reached base to start the inning by error. She came in to score on a one-out RBI double by Bollig. However, a strikeout and groundout ended the game with the tying run in scoring position.

Chapman took the loss for FHSU since the first two runners to cross the plate in the fifth were her responsibility. She allowed three hits and struck out three. Rodriguez allowed five hits and struck out one in three innings of relief.

Lexy Pederson benefitted from her team taking the lead in the top of the fifth before she handed the ball over to Amber Elliott to close out the last three innings. Pederson moved to 3-0, throwing 4.0 innings with six hits, a walk, and one strikeout. Elliott allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and four strikeouts to earn her first save of the year.

The Tigers return to action with one game on Saturday against the University of Sioux Falls, scheduled at 3:30 pm.

GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Brady Werth scored a game-high 19 points and Fort Hays State shot 62-percent in the first half in building a 20-point halftime lead and beat Southwest Baptist 70-52 to secure a first round home game in Tuesday’s first round of the MIAA Tournament.

Werth had eight rebounds and dished out eight assists. Marcus Cooper was one rebound shy of his second straight double-double scoring 18 points with nine rebounds. Hadley Gillum, the Tigers lone senior added 12 points and nine boards with four assists and two blocks on senior night.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Hadley Gillum Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Fort Hays State (17-11, 10-9 MIAA) raced out to an early eight point lead then closed the first half on a 15-2 run to go up 43-23 at halftime and never led by less than 19 until the final 13 seconds.

The Tigers shot 49-percent for the game and went 9-of-17 from beyond the arc after hitting 6-of-7 in the first half.

The Bearcats (12-15, 6-12 MIAA) were held to 38-percent shooting and were 2-for-13 from beyond the arc. Logan Hovey was their only double-figure scorer with 13.

The Tigers will host a yet to be determined opponent Tuesday at 7 pm in the first round of the conference tournament.

By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

HAYS, Kan. – Tatyana Legette scored a career-high 25 points and pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds to lead the Fort Hays State women to a wild 98-95 overtime win over Southwest Baptist in front of 2,786 at Gross Coliseum to secure a third place finish in the MIAA.

The Tigers shot 51-percent and overcome shaky free throw shooting to push their winning streak to four. They have now won 11 of their last 12 and will be the three seed at next week’s conference tournament.

Tony Hobson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

The Tigers (23-5, 14-5 MIAA) got off to a great start, scoring the first 13 points only to see the Bearcats (15-12, 7-11 MIAA) hit four first quarter threes to pull within five at the end of the first quarter. They pushed the lead as high as 15 with 3:04 to play in the second only to see the Bearcats close on a 10-2 run to pull within seven at 48-41.

SBU extended the run to 21-4 in the third quarter and build a three point lead. They used a 10-0 run to go up six with just over seven minutes to play in the fourth before the Tigers answered with a 9-2 run to retake the lead at 86-85 with 2:13 to play. Laura Vierkant hit a three for the Bearcats with 54 seconds left to put the Bearcats up two. Lanie Page answered with a basket eight seconds later to tie the game. SBU missed two shots in the final 44 seconds to win it.

The Tigers fell behind by three in the overtime but closed extra period on an 8-2 run to secure the win.

Kacey Kennett scored 17 for the Tigers. Emma Stroyon, the team’s lone senior, added 15 and Carly Heim added 12 and played 42 minutes.

Caylee Richardson led the Bearcats with 27 and Megan Rosenbohm added 23.

KEARNEY, Neb. – Nebraska-Kearney edged Fort Hays State 65-62 in a tight battle Tuesday night (Feb. 20). Late miscues by the Tigers aided the Lopers in escaping a game where neither team built more than a six-point lead. FHSU moved to 16-11 overall, 9-9 in the MIAA, while UNK evened the regular season series with FHSU and improved to 14-13 overall, 10-8 in the MIAA.

Mark Johnson Postgame Interview

Game Highlights

Both teams struggled offensively in the early going as UNK was the first to climb over 10 points at the 12:04 mark of the first half. A 7-0 run by UNK produced its biggest lead of the game, 15-9, with 10:29 to go. But, the Tigers chipped away and took the lead eventually, 26-24, before the count at halftime settled at a 29-29 tie.

FHSU had the upper hand early in the second half, coming out of the break on a 6-0 run to build its largest lead of six points, 35-29, at the 17:55 mark. Hadley Gillum opened the scoring with a basket that pushed him over the 1,000-point mark in his career at FHSU. He is the 20th player in program history to reach 1,000. Gillum scored all 15 of his points on the night after halftime. Brady Werth, who chipped in a pair of baskets in the run, went on to lead the Tigers with 17 points.

Even with the early run, the Tigers could not shake the Lopers and the teams battled in a tight contest the rest of the way through. From the 12:43 mark all the way to the end of the game, neither team built a lead larger than four points.

Down by three with under a minute to play, UNK fouled Marcus Cooper on a stickback bucket off an offensive rebound. He sunk the free throw to tie the game for the 12th time, 62-62. Cooper finished the game with 13 points and 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.

With the game tied, UNK called timeout with 21 seconds remaining to set up offense with the shot clock off. However, on the inbounds, Cooper overplayed the ball and fouled Lane Rohrich, who went to the line and sunk 1-of-2 attempts. FHSU still had a chance to win the game, but Kyler Kinnamon opted to go to the basket with 10 seconds remaining and his running layup attempt was off the mark.

Isaiah McKay of UNK went to the free-throw line and dropped a pair of shots, giving UNK a three-point lead. FHSU still had a chance to tie, but Grant Holmes had the ball stolen away beyond the three-point line on the right wing and could not get a potential tying shot off.

Fort Hays State shot only 34.9 percent from the field and 27.8 percent beyond the three-point line. UNK was worse beyond the arc at 23.5 percent, but managed to shoot 42.3 percent overall from the field.

The Tigers fell for a fifth straight time in Kearney and now Thursday night’s game (Feb. 22) against Southwest Baptist will be critical to lock up a first-round home game in the MIAA Tournament. The Tigers, for the time being, slide to eighth in the conference standings. Senior night tip-off is set for 7:30 pm at Gross Memorial Coliseum. Hadley Gillum, the lone senior on the team, will be honored before the game.