BY TRISTAN SASSE
After finishing with over 100 points in their last two outings, the high scoring Fort Hays State University men’s basketball team was back in action Saturday night against the Sterling College Warriors. In a game FHSU never trailed, the Tigers won, 92-58.
Game Recap
The Tigers took a 10-3 lead just over four minutes into the game. Sterling came within four, but after back-to-back threes, including a four-point play by Trey O’Neil, Fort Hays led 21-10. Strong shooting by the Tigers extended the lead to 17. FHSU cruised to a 35-14 advantage with 6:54 left in the half. After back-to-back threes again by O’Neil, the Tiger lead climbed to 24. Fort Hays went into halftime with a 49-22 lead.
FHSU shot 54.8% in the first half while holding the Warriors to 31% from the field. The Tigers also made seven threes, with four of them being by O’Neil, who led all scorers with 17 first-half points. Hadley Gillum added eight points for FHSU. Fort Hays also forced 13 turnovers in the opening half.
For the Warriors, Trey Dubbert had 10 first-half points, while shooting 40% from the field.
Fort Hays maintained their lead throughout the second half. The Tigers pulled ahead 58-27 with continued strong shooting beyond the arc. With ten minutes remaining, FHSU led 67-34. Strong production by the reserves gave Fort Hays a 79-45 advantage late in the second half. Another effective night on the offensive end gave the Tigers a 92-58 victory.
By the Numbers
Through six games, FHSU is averaging 92.2 points per game, while holding opponents to 72.5 ppg. On the night, the Tigers made 14-of-26 three-point attempts. Fort Hays also shot 57.4% from the field, while holding Sterling to 40%.
Additionally, FHSU forced 21 turnovers, including 12 steals and seven blocked shots. The Tigers also had 57 bench points and led by as many as 37.
For Fort Hays, O’Neil finished with 20 points (17 in the first half). Grant Holmes added 16 points off the bench and Aaron Nicholson had 11.
For Sterling, Isaac Ostrosky led the Warriors with 11 points, while Dubbert had 10. JaMiah Windom-Haynes led all players with nine rebounds.
Looking Ahead
FHSU (4-2) will host Missouri Southern (1-3) on Thursday in the MIAA season opener. Sterling College (2-7) will travel to Bartlesville, Oklahoma to take on Oklahoma Wesleyan University (8-2).