FHSU Sports Information Department
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State came out on the winning end of a back-and-forth battle with Southwest Minnesota State in the season opener Saturday (Nov. 14) in Hays. A free-throw by Craig Nicholson with seven seconds remaining was the difference as the Tigers held on for the one-point win.
The game saw 19 lead changes and 10 ties. The Mustangs took a one-point lead on a Joey Bartlett layup with 1:18 remaining in the game, but Dom Samac responded with a layup on the next possession to put FHSU back in front 75-74. Shaun Condon tied the game for SMSU with 34 seconds left by hitting one of two free-throws, allowing the Tigers to take the clock down to seven seconds before Nicholson was fouled on a drive to the bucket.
Nicholson hit one of two free-throws with seven seconds left. SMSU had a running layup come up short by point guard Ryan Bruggeman and Samac secured the rebound with 0.9 seconds remaining to give the Tigers the win.
Samac had a huge game for the Tigers, scoring a team-high 22 points and pulling down a team-high six rebounds. He went 9-of-11 from the field and added four free-throws. Rob Davis had a great offensive performance in his first regular season game as a Tiger with 19 points, going 7-of-12 from the field with three 3-point field goals. Kenny Enoch added 11 points and Hadley Gillum had 10. Nicholson led the Tigers in assists with four. Fort Hays State overcame shooting just 53.3 percent at the free-throw line (16-of-30) by forcing 15 turnovers.
Bartlett had the hot hand for SMSU, scoring 27 points on 10-of-16 shooting and a 5-of-6 effort beyond the 3-point line. Mitch Weg added 13 points for the Mustangs. The pair tied with a team-high six rebounds each.
Fort Hays State hits the floor again on Sunday (Nov. 15) against the University of Sioux Falls. USF recorded a win in its season opener on Saturday against Emporia State, 85-81. Emporia State takes on Southwest Minnesota State tomorrow at 2 pm and FHSU hosts USF at 4 pm.