By GARRETT WELLBROCK
Tiger Media Network
HAYS, Kan. — Fort Hays State men’s basketball closed its regular season the right way Thursday night, pulling away in the second half for an 88-73 win over Nebraska-Kearney at Gross Memorial Coliseum.
The Tigers finished 19-9 overall and 11-8 in the MIAA, building momentum as they head to Kansas City for the conference tournament this week. Nebraska-Kearney dropped to 13-17 overall and 6-13 in league play.
Fort Hays State led just 35-32 at halftime after a tight first half that featured several small lead changes. The Tigers’ biggest lead before the break was 7, while the Lopers never led by more than 2 points. Kyle Grill paced the Tigers early with 9 first-half points.
The game turned quickly after halftime.
Grill opened the second half with a 3-pointer, sparking a stretch that gave Fort Hays State control for good. The Tigers later used a 9-0 run to push the lead to 15 with 9:07 to play. A pair of free throws from Juju Ramirez extended the lead to 21 with 4:18 remaining, the largest margin of the night.
“We knew they had guys who could really shoot it,” FHSU head coach Mark Johnson said. “Swift, Hill and Gilbert can all get going. I thought our defense made them work for everything.”
Anthony Swift, who hurt the Tigers in their previous meeting this season, was limited to 12 points before fouling out. Ja’Bryant Hill led the Lopers with 14 points.
“Swift scored some in the second half, but they were tough baskets,” Johnson said. “I thought we did a good job not letting him take over.”
Dan Mukuna led all scorers with 24 points and added 13 rebounds for a double-double. He scored 20 of his points in the second half and also tied for the team lead with 4 assists.
“Dan was aggressive and tough,” Johnson said. “He went after the offensive glass. That’s what we need this time of year.”
Muhamed Kante added 17 points, while Grill finished with 18 and Jahvari Martino chipped in 12. The Tigers went 25 of 33 at the free-throw line, their highest total in MIAA play this season.
“Our defense is what keeps us steady,” Kante said. “Even if shots aren’t falling, we can always defend. In the second half, the offense just kind of spread from one guy to the next.”
Kante said the team has grown more confident as the season has gone on.
“I feel more aggressive,” he said. “Coach tells us to stay aggressive and keep the game low-scoring. When we do that, we’re hard to beat.”
The win locked Fort Hays State into the No. 6 seed for the MIAA Tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. The Tigers will face No. 3 seed Rogers State at 8:15 p.m. Friday in the quarterfinals.
Both teams enter the matchup at 19-9 overall, though Rogers State finished 13-6 in conference play.
Johnson said avoiding playing on the first day and advancing to the quarterfinal round was important.
“It helps your schedule a lot,” he said. “Now we know who we’re playing and when. That matters.”
The Tigers are also the defending MIAA Tournament champions after winning last year’s title as the No. 2 seed.
If Fort Hays State advances, it will play in the semifinals at 8:15 p.m. Saturday against either Central Missouri, Missouri Southern or Northwest Missouri State. The championship game is set for 3:30 p.m. Sunday.
Kante said the atmosphere in Kansas City is special.
“It’s live,” he said. “It feels like playing at Kansas. It’s fun. But we’ve got to fix the small details if we want to keep going.”
Johnson agreed that the focus now shifts to toughness and rebounding.
“We’ve got to clean up some things, especially on the offensive glass,” he said. “This time of year, you have to earn everything.”
Fort Hays State will try to do just that when tournament play begins Friday night.
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