BY TRISTAN SASSE
On Saturday, January 20, the Fort Hays State University men’s basketball team hosted conference rival, the No. 2 ranked Northwest Missouri State Bearcats. In a highly contested game throughout, the Tigers would fall to the Bearcats 72-67. The defeat marked Fort Hays’ first home loss of the season, as they move to 10-1 on the season inside of Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Game Recap
FHSU took a 5-2 lead in the early going, but Northwest Missouri State answered with a 7-0 run. With under 13 minutes left in the opening half, the Bearcats held a 16-10 advantage while shooting 75% from the field. Midway through the opening half, NWMSU led 18-14. Northwest was shooting 77.8%, while the Tigers were at 45.5%.
The Bearcats continued to rely on strong shooting, but still only held a four-point lead at the seven-minute mark. Shortly after, three straight three-pointers by Northwest extended the lead to 13. NWMSU ended the half on a 9-0 run and went into the locker room leading 33-20.
Northwest Missouri State shot 65% in the first half while holding the Tigers to 40%. The Bearcats also had a 12-7 rebounding advantage, more assists (8-2), and one less turnover than Fort Hays. NWMSU added 20 points in the paint and 15 points off turnovers.
Ryan Welty led the Bearcats with nine first-half points. Chris-Ebou Ndow added eight points and seven rebounds, while Joey Witthus had six points. For the Tigers, Hadley Gillum led FHSU with eight points and Marcus Cooper added seven.
Less than four minutes into the second half, FHSU cut the deficit to single digits, at 39-30. Northwest seemed to have an answer for every attempt at a Tiger comeback. Teams continued to trade baskets and the Bearcat lead remained at 11 points with 12:50 remaining. Fort Hays still trailed by 10 with under 10 minutes left.
Moments later, four straight Tiger free throws helped them pull within six. FHSU trailed 55-49 with 5:50 left. At the four-minute mark, Fort Hays was still down six. With 2:36 remaining, the Tigers trailed 60-56.
Following a quick burst by Fort Hays, three straight Bearcat free throws extended the lead to seven. NWMSU led by nine with 1:04 remaining. FHSU came within four points in the final minute, but Northwest Missouri held on for a 72-67 victory.
This TMN Post brought to you by: Sip N’ Spin
By the Numbers
Overall, the Bearcats shot 65.7% from the field, while holding the Tigers to 48.9%. NWMSU finished with 17 turnovers, but won the rebounding battle 28-20, and had 14 assists compared to eight by FHSU.
For Fort Hays, Cooper finished with 24 points and six rebounds. Gillum added 18 points and four rebounds, while Aaron Nicholson had 10 points. For the Bearcats, Ndow had 20 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Witthus finished with 15 points and Brett Dougherty added 13.
Looking Ahead
Up next, FHSU (12-6 overall, 5-4 in MIAA) will take on the Lincoln Blue Tigers (9-10, 3-7) from Jefferson City, Missouri on Thursday. Meanwhile, No. 2 Northwest Missouri State (16-2, 8-2) will return home to take on the Missouri Western Griffons (3-14, 1-9) next Saturday.