FHSU Sports Information Department
HAYS, Kan. – Last second thrillers have been a trend this year at Gross Memorial Coliseum and Thursday (Jan. 26) was no different as Fort Hays State came out on top 74-72 in an overtime thriller against Lincoln. Hadley Gillum netted a pair of free-throws with four seconds remaining to lift the Tigers to victory.
The last three men’s games in Gross Memorial Coliseum have been decided in the final seconds, with the final margin totaling just five over those three games. After taking a heartbreaking two-point loss back on January 7 to Southwest Baptist on a deep 3-point shot at the buzzer, FHSU avoided déjà vu with Lincoln as a last-second half-court attempt fell just to the right. FHSU moved to 11-7 overall, 5-5 in the MIAA, while Lincoln moved to 13-7 overall, 6-5 in the MIAA.
Lincoln had a chance to win the game with the last possession and shot clock off in overtime, but point guard Anthony Virdure tripped and fell on his own trying to get to the basket and traveled. On the ensuing in-bounds, Lincoln bottled up Rob Davis forcing Kyler Kinnamon to throw a pass the length of the floor. Gillum jumped to try and catch the ball, but was taken to the ground from behind by a Lincoln player who fouled with no time coming off the clock. Though he struggled from the field on the night (just 2-of-10), Gillum stepped to the line and buried free-throws pushing the Tigers to the two-point win. He was 4-of-4 on the night at the charity stripe.
The Tigers held a 28-23 lead at halftime and after falling down by seven at the 13:41 mark of the second half, they went on a 17-2 run to build an eight-point lead with 6:58 to go in the game. Lincoln was held without a field goal during that run, which lasted 6:32 before Jaylon Smith hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead back to five. The Smith field goal started an 11-2 run by Lincoln as it gained the lead back by one with 3:16 to play.
The lead changed hands twice before JaQuan Smith was fouled with 21 seconds remaining with FHSU down by one, 61-60. He missed his first attempt, but rattled home the second. Anthony Virdure tried a deep three-pointer from the left wing, but it missed sending the game to overtime.
There were three lead changes and two ties in the overtime period. The Tigers built a five-point lead with 2:08 to play, but it was erased over the next 48 seconds with a Lincoln three-pointer and pair of free-throws. A layup by Anthony Virdure with 52 seconds remaining capped a 7-0 run by Lincoln, but Hadley Gillum buried a huge jumper from the top of the key with 26 ticks on the clock to tie the game once again. Then after Kinnamon played tremendous defense on Virdure, forcing the travel, Gillum proved to be the hero for FHSU with the final two points, scoring all four of Fort Hays State’s points in the final minute of the game.
Like Gillum, Davis struggled from the field for FHSU, going just 6-of-21. He was 4-of-12 beyond the 3-point line. But he found a way to make up for it at the free-throw line, where he went 8-of-8 and accounted for a team-best 24 points. Smith got his first double-double as a Tiger with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Trey O’Neil also reached double figures with 11 points. Gillum finished with eight. Kinnamon finished with a team-high five assists and three steals.
Jaylon Smith of Lincoln had a double-double of 16 points and 11 rebounds. Virdure finished with a team-best 19 points. They were the only Blue Tigers to reach double figures.
FHSU shot 39.7 percent from the field overall, while Lincoln was 38.2 percent from the field. FHSU held a 40-39 advantage in rebounds and committed three less turnovers.
The Tigers are now 2-2 in contests decided in the final five seconds at Gross Memorial Coliseum this year. Both of the losses were buzzer-beating three-pointers by Colorado Mines and Southwest Baptist, but the Tigers pulled out a 74-73 win over Central Missouri on January 5 and now a 74-72 win over Lincoln in overtime on Thursday night. The Tigers are 1-1 on the road in games decided by three or less as Rob Davis hit a last-second game winner at Sioux Falls for an 80-78 win. But the Tigers fell by three at Missouri Southern, 84-81, missing a pair of three-pointers in the final seconds in an attempt to tie the game.
Fort Hays State returns to action on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 28) when it takes on Lindenwood in Hays at 4 pm.