BY TRISTAN SASSE
On Thursday, January 4, the Fort Hays State University men’s basketball team resumed MIAA play in Warrensburg, Missouri against the Central Missouri Mules. Struggling for most of the night, the contest slipped away from the Tigers early. Central Missouri would go on to win in dominant fashion, 81-66.
Game Recap
In the early going, Central Missouri took a 10-4 lead, due in large part to an 8-0 run. Moments later, the Mules’ lead was extended to 10. Midway through the opening half, UCM maintained a 24-12 advantage. In the first 10 minutes of the first half, the Tigers shot under 30%, while the Mules were shooting above 50%.
FHSU’s shooting woes continued and Central Missouri took a 33-12 lead with under seven minutes left in the half. The Tigers ended their scoring drought soon after, but still trailed by 20. The Mules ended the first half shooting 60% and went into the locker room with a 49-25 lead. Fort Hays shot 40% in the opening half, but had 13 turnovers and only 15 field goal attempts.
Leading Central Missouri in the first half, Spencer Reaves had 15 points, three rebounds, and two assists. Jakob Lowrance added 10 points. For the Tigers, Aaron Nicholson scored nine points off the bench, while Trey O’Neil added six points.
Early in the second half, Central Missouri increased their lead to 28. With just under 13 minutes left in the game, FHSU trimmed the margin to 19, at 60-41. Midway through the half, the Tigers trailed by 23. Fort Hays failed to pull within striking distance in the second half and would fall 81-66 to snap their four-game
win streak.
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By the Numbers
Overall, Central Missouri shot 54%, while holding FHSU to 41.9%. Each team had 26 rebounds, but the Tigers had 20 turnovers and only 10 assists. Fort Hays entered the game averaging nearly 18 assists per contest.
For the Tigers, Jared Vitztum scored 10 points and had four rebounds off the bench. Additionally, Nicholson and KeShawn Wilson added nine points each. FHSU finished with 41 bench points.
For the Mules, Reaves finished with 19 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Lowrance also added 19 points.
Looking Ahead
On Saturday, FHSU (10-4) will continue MIAA action in Bolivar, Missouri against Southwest Baptist (8-5). Additionally, Central Missouri (11-2) will host Nebraska-Kearney (6-8), also on Saturday.