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FHSU women drop four spots in WBCA/USA Today poll

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The Fort Hays State women’s basketball team will take a No. 16 national ranking into the NCAA II Central Regional in Pittsburg after dropping four spots in the latest WBCA/USA Today Top-25 poll. The Tigers, who are the No. 5 seed for the regional, are one of four MIAA teams in this week poll. Missouri Western dropped three spots to No. 10, Emporia State moved up two to No. 18 and Pittsburg State falls three to No. 19.

The Tigers first round opponent, Winona State (Minn.) is the highest ranked team in the regional at No. 7. They Northern Sun Conference regular season champ moved up a spot despite losing in their conference tournament semifinal.

March 8, 2016 WBCA/USA Today Top-25 poll…

Rank Institution – First Place Votes Previous Rank Record Total Points
1 Lubbock Christian University (Texas) – 19 1 29-0 595
2 Limestone College (S.C.) – 5 2 30-0 564
3 Ashland University (Ohio) 5 30-1 535
4 University of Alaska – Anchorage 6 33-2 510
5 California Baptist University 3 28-2 462
6 Lewis University (Ill.) 4 28-2 446
7 Winona State University (Minn.) 8 29-3 435
8 Virginia Union University 13 25-2 378
9 Union University (Tenn.) 9 28-3 363
10 Missouri Western State 7 27-3 362
11 Benedict College (S.C.) 14 27-2 337
12 Arkansas Tech University 15 26-3 308
13 Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) 18 27-3 291
14 Drury University (Mo.) 10 24-4 274
15 West Texas A&M University 11 26-4 258
16 Fort Hays State University (Kan.) 12 25-5 236
17 West Liberty University (W.Va.) 17 27-3 225
18 Emporia State University (Kan.) 20 26-5 223
19 Pittsburg State University (Kan.) 16 26-5 207
20 Bellarmine University (Ky.) 24 24-3 161
21 University of California – San Diego 19 24-4 120
22 Quincy University (Ill.) 22 25-5 73
23 Nova Southeastern University (Fla.) 21 23-6 60
24 Columbus State University (Ga.) 23 24-5 54
25 Bentley University (Mass.) NR 25-5 53

Dropped Out: Anderson University (S.C.).

Others receiving votes: California State University – East Bay 43; Ursuline College (Ohio) 43; University Of Sioux Falls (S.D.) 38; Lander University (S.C.) 28; Kentucky State University 22; Anderson University (S.C.) 14; Colorado State University – Pueblo 14; American International College (Mass.) 7; Clayton State University (Ga.) 6; Florida Southern College 6; Shaw University (N.C.) 6; Wheeling Jesuit University (W.Va.) 6; California University of Pennsylvania (Pa.) 2; Northern State University (S.D.) 2.

Source: Chiefs, LB Tamba Hali agree to 3-year contract

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By DAVE SKRETTA
AP Sports Writer

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) – A person familiar with the situation told The Associated Press that the Chiefs and Tamba Hali have agreed to a three-year contract to keep the veteran linebacker in Kansas City.

The person spoke on the condition of anonymity Tuesday because the deal had not been announced.

The 32-year-old Hali is coming off his fifth consecutive Pro Bowl, despite practicing on a limited basis much of the season because of a troublesome knee. He also had a broken thumb late in the year.

Still, the Chiefs’ former first-round pick finished with 6 1-2 sacks while starting 14 of the 15 games he played. That gave him 86 for his career, matching Neil Smith for second-most in franchise history.

Big 12 awards announced

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Big 12 Release

For just the second time in Big 12 history, the Conference has a repeat choice for Player of the Year as Oklahoma’s Buddy Hield has earned the honor for the second straight campaign. Prince Ibeh of Texas has been named Defensive Player of the Year, while Deonte Burton of Iowa State is Newcomer of the Year. Oklahoma State’s Jawun Evans is the Freshman of the Year, with Jaysean Paige from West Virginia capturing the Sixth Man Award. Tubby Smith of Texas Tech was selected as Big 12 Coach of the Year for the first time.

Three players who are finalists on multiple national awards lists – Hield, Georges Niang (Iowa State) and Perry Ellis (Kansas) all repeated as unanimous picks on the All-Big 12 First Team. It marks the only time in the past 12 years (since 2004-05) that the league has had three unanimous first team honorees.

Hield tops the list of national player of the year candidates after leading the Big 12 and ranking second nationally with 25.3 points per game. He finished conference play as the career scoring leader for league games with 1,202 points. The Bahamas native has scored at least 20 points in 22 contests and is shooting 49.5 percent from the field, 47.3 percent from 3-point range and 89.3 percent from the line.

Ibeh is the third Longhorn in conference history to win defensive honors. The senior had 60 blocked shots in 2015-16, including 44 in conference competition. After an injury sidelined teammate Cameron Ridley, Ibeh entered the starting lineup on December 29 and had at lead one block in all but three outings. He is averaging 6.3 boards since in that time while shooting 61.4 percent from the floor.

Burton is the fourth Cyclone in the past five seasons to be named the top newcomer. The junior guard, a transfer from Marquette, became eligible on December 19 and proceeded to score in double digits 11 times. He had seven starts and was in double figures in six of those games while finishing the regular season with a .538 field goal mark.

Evans gives Oklahoma State the Big 12 Freshman of the Year for the third time in the past five campaigns. Despite missing the last nine OSU games due to an injury, he led all Cowboy regulars with 12.9 points per contest. He boasted 108 assists, the second-highest total for a freshman in school history.

Paige is the first player to win a major award since the Mountaineers began Big 12 competition in 2012-13. The senior guard led West Virginia in scoring (14.3 ppg) despite coming off the bench in all but one outing. He ranked fourth in the league in conference play with 16.3 points per game, including setting a school record for most points by a non-starter with 34 versus Iowa State on February 22.

Smith is the first Texas Tech mentor to win the coaching honor. The Red Raiders posted their highest overall victory total since 2009-10 and finished with a .500 league mark in the toughest conference in America. He has Tech poised to be the first team in Big 12 history to be picked 10th in the preseason poll and then earn a NCAA bid.

The All-Big 12 first, second, third and honorable mention teams were also announced, along with the all-defensive and all-newcomer teams. In addition to the three repeat picks on the first team, Monté Morris (Iowa State) and Frank Mason III (Kansas) are repeat choices on the second team. WVU guard Jevon Carter is the ninth player in Big 12 history to be a two-time member of the All-Defensive Team.

The official All-Big 12 awards are selected by the league’s head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own players.

AWARD RECIPIENT
Player of the Year Buddy Hield, Oklahoma
Coach of the Year Tubby Smith, Texas Tech
Defensive Player of the Year Prince Ibeh, Texas
Sixth man Award Jaysean Paige, West Virginia**
Newcomer of the Year Deonte Burton, Iowa State**
Freshman of the Year Jawun Evans, Oklahoma State

** – Unanimous Selection

ALL-BIG 12 FIRST TEAM
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown/Previous School(s)
Taurean Prince, Baylor F 6-7 215 Sr. San Antonio, Texas/Earl Warren
Georges Niang, Iowa State** F 6-8 230 Sr. Methuen, Mass./The Tilton School
Perry Ellis, Kansas** F 6-8 225 Sr. Wichita, Kan./Wichita Heights
Buddy Hield, Oklahoma** G 6-4 214 Sr. Freeport, Bahamas/Sunrise Christian Academy [Kan.]
Isaiah Taylor, Texas G 6-3 185 Jr. South Hayward, Calif./The Village School [Texas]
ALL-BIG 12 SECOND TEAM
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown/Previous School(s)
Monté Morris, Iowa State G 6-3 175 Jr. Flint, Mich./Beecher
Frank Mason III, Kansas G 5-11 185 Jr. Petersburg, Va./Massanutten Military Academy
Wayne Selden Jr., Kansas G 6-5 230 Jr. Roxbury, Mass./Tilton School [N.H.]
Jaysean Paige, West Virginia G 6-2 200 Sr. Jamestown, N.Y./Perry County Central/Moberly Area CC
Devin Williams, West Virginia F 6-9 255 Jr. Cincinnati, Ohio/Montverde Academy
ALL-BIG 12 THIRD TEAM
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown/Previous School(s)
Rico Gathers, Baylor F 6-8 275 Sr. LaPlace, La./Riverside Academy
Johnathan Motley, Baylor F 6-9 230 So. Houston, Texas/North Shore
Wesley Iwundu, Kansas State F 6-7 210 Jr. Houston, Texas/Westfield
Isaiah Cousins, Oklahoma G 6-4 200 Sr. Mount Vernon, N.Y./Mount Vernon
Ryan Spangler, Oklahoma F 6-8 234 Sr. Bridge Creek, Okla./Gonzaga University
ALL-BIG 12 HONORABLE MENTION (Listed alphabetically by school)
Lester Medford (Baylor), Jameel McKay (Iowa State), Abdel Nader (Iowa State), Matt Thomas (Iowa State), Devonte’ Graham (Kansas), Landen Lucas (Kansas), Jordan Woodard (Oklahoma), Jawun Evans (Oklahoma State), Jeff Newberry (Oklahoma State), Javan Felix (Texas), Toddrick Gotcher (Texas Tech), Aaron Ross (Texas Tech), Zach Smith (Texas Tech)
BIG 12 ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown/Previous School(s)
Devonte’ Graham, Kansas G 6-2 175 So. Raleigh, N.C./Brewster Academy [N.H.]
Frank Mason III, Kansas G 5-11 185 Jr. Petersburg, Va./Massanutten Military Academy
Wesley Iwundu, Kansas State F 6-7 210 Jr. Houston, Texas/Westfield
Khadeem Lattin, Oklahoma F 6-9 208 So. Houston, Texas/Redemption Christian Home School Academy
Prince Ibeh, Texas** C 6-11 265 Sr. Garland, Texas/Naaman Forest
Jevon Carter, West Virginia G 6-2 185 So. Maywood, Ill./Proviso East
BIG 12 ALL-NEWCOMER TEAM
Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Cl. Hometown/Previous School(s)
Deonte Burton, Iowa State** G 6-4 250 Jr. Milwaukee, Wis./Marquette/Vincent
Barry Brown, Kansas State G 6-3 195 Fr. St. Petersburg, Fla./Gibbs
Dean Wade, Kansas State F 6-10 225 Fr. St. John, Kan./St. John
Jawun Evans, Oklahoma State G 6-0 180 Fr. Dallas, Texas/Kimball
Eric Davis Jr., Texas G 6-2 185 Fr. Saginaw, Mich./Saginaw Arthur Hill
Kerwin Roach Jr., Texas G 6-4 170 Fr. Houston, Texas/North Shore

** – Unanimous Selection
Ties in the voting created additional spots on the All-Defensive and All-Newcomer Teams

Tiger men’s and women’s basketball headed to NCAA tournament; both No. 5 seeds

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For the first time in school history, both the Fort Hays State men’s and women’s basketball teams are headed to the NCAA Division II tournament in the same year. Both teams will be the No. 5 seed in the Central Regional the NCAA announced during the selection show Sunday evening.

The women’s tournament will be played in Pittsburg, Kan. and hosted by Pittsburg State while the men’s tournament will be played in Sioux Falls, S.D. and hosted by Augustana.

The Central Region is made up of teams from the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference the Mid-America Athletic Association and the Great American Conference.

The Tiger women (25-5), who are making their second straight tournament appearance and third overall, will play Winona State (Minn.) on Friday at John Lance Arena. The Warriors (29-3) are making their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2011 and the third in program history. They won the Northern Sun Conference regular season title by three games.

The FHSU men (20-10), making their second appearance in three years and 13th overall, will face Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday at 8 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon. The Lopers (20-11) are making their 12th tournament appearance after tying for second in the MIAA and finishing second on the conference tournamant.

NCAA II Women’s Central Regional
John Lance Arena; Pittsburg, Kan.
March 11, 12, 14

No. 4. Winona State (29-3) vs. No. 5. Fort Hays State (25-5), 12 p.m.
No. 1. Emporia State (26-5) vs. No. 7. Northern State (23-7), 2:30 p.m.
No. 2. Pittsburg State (27-5) vs. No. 7. Sioux Falls (27-5), 6 p.m.
No. 3. Missouri Western (27-3) vs. No. 6. Arkansas Tech (26-3), 8:30 p.m.

NCAA II Men’s Central Regional
Sanford Pentagon; Sioux Falls, S.D.
March 12, 13, 15

No. 3. MSU-Moorhead (30-5) vs. Minnesota State (21-9), 12 p.m.
No. 2. Northwest Missouri State (25-5) vs. No. 7 Ouachita Baptist (19-12), 2:30 p.m.
No. 1 Augustana (28-2) vs. No. 8 Harding (20-10), 5:30 p.m.
No. 4 Nebraska-Kearney (20-11) vs. No. 5 Fort Hays State (20-10). 8 p.m.

Tiger baseball drops series finale with Central Oklahoma

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FHSU Athletics

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State baseball dropped the series finale with Central Oklahoma on Sunday by run rule, 15-4 after seven innings. The Broncho offense managed to score at least one run in every inning. With the loss, Fort Hays State now sits at 9-8 overall and 3-3 in the MIAA, while UCO moves to 9-5 overall and 4-2 in the MIAA.

Central Oklahoma scored one run in each of the first four innings while holding the Tigers scoreless. They added four runs in the top of the fifth pushing their lead to 8-0.

The Tiger bats came to life in the bottom half of the fifth when they were able to cut the lead in half scoring four runs. Nick Hammeke reached on an error to start the inning, then Clayton Basgall singled. With two outs, Austin Unrein singled to plate the first run. Designated hitter Joe Mapes loaded the bases with a single. After a wild pitch scored Basgall, Connor Ross cleared the bases with a two RBI double.

That was all the Tigers could muster though and Central Oklahoma put the game away by scoring two runs in the sixth and five more in the seventh.

Connor Boyer took the loss for the Tigers throwing 2.2 innings, giving up three runs on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk.

The Tigers host another three game series next weekend against Southwest Baptist starting on Friday.

Poor shooting hurts Tigers in loss to Northwest Missouri State in MIAA semifinals

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By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State was held to 37-percent shooting and failed to hit a 3-pointer in the second half and fall to No. 13 Northwest Missouri State 69-51 in the MIAA Tournament semifinals Saturday at Municipal Auditorium. The Bearcats (24-5) used a 12-0 midway through the first half to build a 10-point lead and never led by less than 10 in the second half. The Tigers (20-10) were held to 28-percent shooting in the second half including 0-for-8 from beyond the arc.

FHSU Postgame Press Conference


Game Highlights

 

 

Dom Samac led the Tigers with 15 points while Kenny Enoch added 10. Rob Davis was held to eight and failed to hit any of his five 3-point attempts.

MIAA Player of the Year Justin Pitts led the Bearcats with 20 points. The Bearcats will play Nebraska-Kearney for the MIAA Tournament title Sunday afternoon.

Fort Hays State will now see if it has done enough to get an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament next week. FHSU entered the week at No. 4 in the region. The tournament selection show is on Sunday night at 9:30 pm. Fans can watch the selection show live HERE.

TMP girls move on to state, boys fall short

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By JEREMY McGUIRE

Girls:  TMP 60, Beloit 48

TMP found themselves in unfamiliar territory Saturday night when they trailed Beloit 12-5 late in the first quarter of the 3A Sub-State Championship in Norton.  The Lady Monarchs  received a lift from Madyson Koerner when she nailed two late threes to cut the gap to 12-11 heading into the second quarter.  TMP would take the lead late in the second quarter on a Melissa Pfeifer three and free throw.  The Lady Trojans answered with a three of their own to regain the lead.  Koerner would find herself open just before half and she hit her third three of the game to give the Lady Monarchs the 23-21 lead at halftime.

TMP roared out of the gates in the third quarter scoring 12 of the first 17 points.  After leading by five points, 28-23, the Lady Monarchs would not allow Beloit to get any closer.  TMP took a 38-30 lead into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth, the Lady Monarchs extended their lead to double figures at 45-34.  The largest lead for TMP was the 12 points when they reached the final score of 60-48.  Koerner led the way for TMP with 18 points, Kayla Vitztum 15, Megan Koenigsman added 12 and Pfiefer 9.

TMP has now won 19 games in a row and improves to 21-2 on the season and will travel to Hutchinson next week for the 3A State Tournament.  They will open up play on Thursday from the Sports Arena.

ROSE MCFARLAND INTERVIEW

GAME HIGHLIGHTS


Boys:  Norton 62, TMP 50

The third time was the charm for the Norton Bluejays as they took out TMP 62-50 in their 3A Sub-State Championship match-up.  Norton, who had lost to TMP twice this season, controlled the pace throughout the game. The Bluejays held an 11-10 advantage after the first quarter.  Tyus Henson paced the way in the second quarter by scoring 10 of his 15 points to help Norton to a 27-22 halftime lead.

TMP would mount a comeback in the third quarter, taking a 36-33 lead late.  Norton would score the final four points of the quarter to take a one point lead heading to the fourth quarter.  TMP would re-gain the lead with the first bucket of the fourth quarter.  That’s when things fell apart for the Monarchs.  Norton would score the next 10 points to take a commanding 47-38 lead, a lead they would not reliquish, picking up the 62-50 win.

With the loss TMP finishes their season at 19-4.  Jared Vitztum led the scoring for TMP with 15 points.

JOE HERTEL INTERVIEW

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

 

Hays falls to McPherson to end season

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By Dustin Armbruster

It was a rematch from the 2015 sub-state championship as Hays and McPherson battled for a 4A-1 state tournament berth on Saturday night. Twelve months ago the game was in Hays and the McPherson Bullpups won on their way to an undefeated state championship. In 2016 both teams traveled three plus hours to Ulysses.

Hays scored the first five points of the game then went cold as McPherson used a 11-2 run over the next five minutes. The Indian’s Isaiah Nunnery buried a three at the end of the first quarter to get back within a single point 11-10.

Highlights

McPherson pushed their advantage as high as six in the second quarter following a 8-3 run to start the quarter. The Indians responded back with three consecutive threes to grab the lead back at 22-19 with 4:30 left before half. The two teams swapped the lead twice more with McPherson building a five point lead until Nunnery scored the final points of the half making the score 32-29 in favor of McPherson.

Hays took the lead twice in the third quarter following back to back three pointers from Nunnery to go up 39-36 and then a Laken Jacobs basket gave the Indians a 41-40 lead inside of two minutes left in the quarter. McPherson though reclaimed the lead at 42-41 heading to the fourth quarter.

Hays took the lead four more times in the fourth quarter. The final coming on a steal and lay up by Drew Young at 53-51 with 3:35 remaining. Hays would only score two more points the remainder of the way. McPherson took the final three plus minutes to out score Hays 14-2 and take the win 65-55.

Coach Rick Keltner

The game featured 17 lead changes. Hays shot 50% from the field and McPherson 60%. Hays was led by Isaiah Nunnery with 22 points. Drew Young scored 15. Nunnery finishes 9th all-time in scoring, 3rd in assists and 2nd in steals over the course of 91 games. McPherson was led by Ben Pyle with 25. Drew Pyle scored 12 and Jacob Loeker added 10.

Hays ends the year at 17-5. McPherson will defend their state title next week in Salina with a 21-1 record.

Northern Iowa edges Wichita State in overtime

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ST. LOUIS (AP) — Wes Washpun scored 20 points and Jeremy Morgan sank the go-ahead 3-pointer in overtime Saturday to lift fourth-seeded Northern Iowa past top-seeded Wichita State 57-52 and into the championship game of the Missouri Valley Conference tournament.

Trailing by a point with two minutes left in overtime, Northern Iowa (21-12) got a free throw from Morgan to tie it at 52 before he hit the go-ahead 3-pointer on an assist from Wyatt Lohaus. The Panthers then forced a turnover and Washpun hit a jumper to extend the advantage to five with 18 seconds left.

Markis McDuffie missed a 3-pointer at the other end and Klint Carlson hauled in the defensive rebound to clinch it.

Northern Iowa trailed most of the game but stayed close and forced overtime with Wyatt Lohaus’ layup to tie it at 47 at the end of regulation.

Anton Grady led Wichita State (24-8) with 14 points and Ron Baker had 12.

The Panthers play the winner of second-seeded Evansville and sixth-seeded Indiana State.

Late run gives No. 1 Kansas win over No. 21 Iowa State

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By TATE STEINLAGE
Associated Press

LAWRENCE, Kan. (AP) — Perry Ellis scored 22 points, including a hook shot over Iowa State’s Georges Niang to ice the game, and No. 1 Kansas stretched its nation-leading home winning streak to 42 games with an 85-78 victory over the 21st-ranked Cyclones on Saturday.

Devonte Graham and Wayne Selden, Jr. finished with 16 points apiece for Kansas (27-4, 15-3 Big 12), which has won 33 straight home finales.

Ellis, playing in his final game at Allen Fieldhouse, spearheaded an 11-0 run over the final 4:45 with a hustle play. He ended it with an emphatic dunk.

Kansas looked poise to break the game open with 13:21 left in the game, when Mason slipped his way through two defenders and finished at the rim. Iowa State responded with a 13-2 run to grab its largest — and last — lead at 63-59.

Niang led the Cyclones (21-10, 10-8) with 22 points and Jameel McKay added 19 points and nine rebounds.

FHSU baseball wins in walk-off fashion for second straight day against UCO

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FHSU Athletics

HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State won in walk-off fashion for the second game in a row on Saturday when they defeated Central Oklahoma 4-3 in 13 innings. With the win the Tigers moved to 9-7 overall and 3-2 in the MIAA.

Central Oklahoma got on the board early with a run in the first inning. A leadoff walk eventually led to a run.

Fort Hays State responded in the third tying the game at 1-1. An error put Ty Redington on second base and he eventually scored on a two-out double from Austin Unrein. Another Broncho error in the fourth put Connor Ross on second with no outs. After a strikeout and a fielder’s choice, the Tigers faced two outs with a runner on first. Nick Hammeke gave the Tigers their first lead when he roped a double to right field scoring Alex King from first base. The Tigers took their 2-1 lead all the way to the ninth inning.

In the ninth however, the Bronchos were able to tie the game after two singles and a sacrifice fly from Landon Eason. In the bottom half of the ninth, the Tigers were able to get a two out walk from Casey Sedbrook but nothing more as the game headed for extra innings.

The Bronchos were able to take the lead in the top half of the 10th when T.J. Sparr singled, stole second, and moved the next two bases via a pair of wild pitches. The Tigers fought back in the bottom half of the inning to extend the game. Joe Mapes roped a single up the middle to lead off and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt from Ross. Two batters later, pinch runner Colton Helm was able to score on a single by Alex Weiss.

The next two and a half innings went scoreless and the Tigers once again saw themselves in a position to win the game. Weiss led off the 13th inning with a walk and moved into scoring position two batters later. With two outs Ty Redington hit a single up the middle scoring Weiss to win the game.

Logan Herd started the game on the mound for the Tigers, but did not factor in the decision. Herd threw 7.0 innings, giving up one run on just three hits with four walks and five strikeouts. Lyle Vogt picked up his second win for the Tigers by tossing the final 6.0 innings, giving up two runs on five hits with a walk and three strikeouts.

The Tigers look for a sweep on Sunday in the series finale at 12 p.m.

Evans, Williams combine for 40, Texas Tech beats Kansas State

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By ARLOS SILVA JR.
Associated Press

LUBBOCK, Texas (AP) — Devaugntah Williams and Keenan Evans each scored 20 points as the Red Raiders defeated Kansas State 80-71 Saturday in the Big 12 Conference finale for both squads.

With the win, the Red Raiders (19-11 overall, 9-9 Big 12) ended their conference slate at .500 for the first time since the 2006-2007 season.

D.J. Johnson finished with 21 points to lead the Wildcats (16-15, 5-13).

Kansas State appeared to be on point early on, building a 12-2 advantage in the first four-and-a-half minutes. During that spurt, Dean Wade contributed four points.

But the Red Raiders clawed their way back, closing the deficit to 23-11 before going on a game-changing 25-5 run to close out the final nine-and-a-half minutes.

Zach Smith started the offensive surge with a tip-in followed by a fast-break dunk by Justin Gray to cut the deficit to 23-15 at the 8:29 mark.

Hot shooting Gorillas down Tiger women in MIAA tourney semifinals

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By GERARD WELLBROCK
Hays Post

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Pittsburg State set a new MIAA Tournament record with 16 three-pointers as the 16th-ranked Gorillas knocked off 12th-ranked Fort Hays State 90-74 in the semifinals Saturday afternoon at Municipal Auditorium. The Gorillas (26-4) also set a tournament record for 3-pointers in a half with 11 as they extend their school record win streak to 15 games. PSU knocked down 11 from beyond the arc in the first half as the two teams combine to set a tournament records for points in a half at 92 (51-41).

Pitt State hit 8-of-10 from beyond the arc in the first quarter, racing out to a 35-20 lead. They were up 18 in the second quarter before the Tigers (25-5) rallied within 10 at halftime. The Tigers closed the gap to six several times in the third quarter but a 13-0 Gorilla run over the late stages of the third quarter and first four minutes of the fourth pushed the lead to 19.

FHSU Postgame Press Conference


Game Highlights


Pitt State shot 54-percent for the game including 16-of-31 from beyond the arc. The Tigers knocked down 42-percent and were 8-of-21 from 3-point range.

Nikola Kacperska led six Tigers in double-figures with 14 points. Paige Lunsford and Jill Faxon both scored 13 while Taylor Chandler, Beth Bohuslavsky and Chelsea Mason all added 10.

Mikeala Burgess hit four 3-pointers and led the Gorillas with 21 points.

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