BY TRISTAN SASSE
The Fort Hays State University men’s basketball team was looking for a season sweep on the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers on Tuesday, February 20. In a highly contested match throughout, neither team led by more than six points. When it was all said and done, UNK escaped with a 65-62 victory. The Lopers improved to 10-2 at home, while the Tigers fell to 2-8 in true road games.
The game featured 14 lead changes and 12 ties. In an absolute grudge match, the score was tied at 29 heading into halftime. Both teams continued to trade the lead in the second half and FHSU held a slight advantage with under five minutes to play. Ultimately, a late run by the Lopers guided them to a victory.
Nebraska-Kearney shot 42.3% from the field, while Fort Hays finished at 34.9%. The Tigers had the rebounding advantage at 42-35 and each team had 10 turnovers. FHSU finished with 12 assists, while the Lopers had 11.
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Brady Werth led all players with 17 points and eight rebounds. Hadley Gillum finished with 15 points (all in the second half) and four rebounds. Gillum became the 20th player in FHSU history to score 1,000 career points. Additionally, Marcus Cooper recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
For the Lopers, Ty Danielson led UNK with 16 points and five rebounds. Trey Lansman added 15 points, five rebounds, and four assists before fouling out. A.J. Jackson rounded out those in double figures with 10 points.
Up next, the Tigers (16-11 overall, 9-9 in MIAA) will finish the regular season at home against Southwest Baptist (12-14, 6-11) on Thursday night. On the other side, Nebraska-Kearney (14-13, 10-8) will also take on Southwest Baptist to close out their regular season on Friday.