HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State looked to be cruising to a win at home on Saturday (Feb. 6), up 26 at halftime, but had to hold on for a 96-84 win over Southwest Baptist. The Bearcats made the No. 7 Tigers work hard for the win in the second half, cutting the lead down to nine before the Tigers seized control in the fourth quarter.
Fort Hays State shot the ball tremendously in the first half, going 67.7 percent (21-of-31) from the field. With 5:23 remaining in the first half, FHSU was shooting 74 percent from the field. An 11-0 run by the Tigers from the 7:25 to 4:54 marks of the second quarter ballooned a 12-point lead to 23. The Tigers eventually led by 26 at the break.
The Tigers looked to be well in control of the game as the lead grew to 28 twice, the latter at the 6:36 mark of the third quarter. But then the Bearcats started to rain 3-point field goals from all over sparking a 12-0 run. The run consisted of three 3-point field goals and an old-fashioned 3-point play, trimming the lead to 16 quickly.
Beth Bohuslavsky stopped the run with a 3-pointer, but then SBU went on an 11-1 run which included two more 3-pointers to cut the lead down to nine. Nikola Kacperska stopped the second run with a 3-point field goal just before the buzzer, pushing the lead back to 12.
The Tigers gave themselves breathing room once again by opening the fourth quarter on a 9-2 run to get the lead to 19, but SBU used a 9-0 run to cut the lead back to 10 with 55 seconds to play. FHSU hit free-throws down the stretch to hang on for the win. FHSU moved to 20-2 overall and 14-2 in the MIAA, while SBU went to 12-10 overall and 7-9 in the MIAA.
Even shooting 44 percent in the second half, FHSU finished at 57.1 percent overall from the field, a new season high. Though the result was a win, the Tigers did it in unconventional fashion. FHSU allowed a new season-high 84 points to its opponent, but scored a season-high 96. FHSU also turned the ball over 19 times, the only game this year with more than 12. But the Tigers were able to force the Bearcats into 19 turnovers as well. Solid free-throw shooting was a key down the stretch as the Tigers finished 23-of-28 at the charity stripe for the game.
Senior Beth Bohuslavsky scored a career-high 27 points, shooting 8-of-10 from the field, including a 2-of-2 effort beyond the 3-point line, and a 9-of-11 effort at the free-throw line. She also led the team in rebounds with seven, while notching three assists and three steals.
The Tigers had four others reach double figures in scoring. Nikola Kacperska had 16 on 6-of-12 shooting from the field with three 3-point field goals. Jill Faxon had 13, while hitting at an efficient 5-of-6 clip from the field. Paige Lunsford had 12 and Chelsea Mason added 11.
Megan Rosenbohm and Leann Terrill led the Bearcats each with 19 points. Caylee Richardson added 18 and Dilonna Johnson had 11.
Fort Hays State reached the 20-win mark for the fifth consecutive season, extending the school record for that feat. The Tigers remained a half game out of first place in the conference with the win. The Tigers head on the road to Pittsburg State and Missouri Southern next week.