TFort Hays State picked up its first win over an NABC Top 25 ranked team at home since the 2011-12 season when it knocked off No. 25 ranked Missouri Southern on Thursday night (Feb. 28) at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. The Tigers won a high-scoring affair by going on a 6-0 run in the final 20 seconds to claim an 89-84 win. The Tigers moved to 17-10 overall, 11-7 in the MIAA, while the Lions moved to 22-6 overall, 13-5 in the MIAA.
The back-and-forth battle saw 15 ties and 17 lead changes. Missouri Southern led FHSU by four at halftime, 41-37, but outscored MSSU 52-43 in the second half to secure fourth place alone in the MIAA standings. Missouri Southern held a 12-point lead at the 5:11 mark of the first half, but FHSU closed the half on a 12-4 run. FHSU tied the game quickly with the first two baskets of the second half and neither team led by more than five the rest of the way.
Missouri Southern took a one-point lead on a pair of free throws by Cam Martin, who had a game-high 29 points, with 1:24 to go. Both teams failed to score on their next possessions, but Trey O’Neil was able to hit a fast-break layup with 20 seconds remaining to push the Tigers back in front. Marcus Cooper picked the pocket of Elyjah Clark on as time was winding down inside 10 seconds and then he was fouled intentionally on a potential fast-break opportunity. Cooper hit a pair of free throws, FHSU got the ball back due to the intentional foul, MSSU fouled again, and then Devin Davis hit a pair of free throws with 6.9 seconds remaining to seal the win.
Brady Werth led the Tiger scoring effort with 19 points and nearly had a double-double by securing a team-high nine rebounds. Marcus Cooper also had a big night, adding 18 points and seven rebounds. Jared Vitztum (11) and Kyler Kinnamon (10) also reached double figures in scoring. Kinnamon had a team-high seven assists and four steals.
The Lions had three players reach double figures in scoring. Martin led the way with his 29-point effort, while Braelon Walker had 17 and Kinzer Lambert had 16. Lambert had a team-best seven assists, while Martin had a team-high eight rebounds.
FHSU poured in a season-high 36 field goals and scored 62 of its points on shots inside the arc. FHSU only had five three-point field goals in the game. Three-point shooting kept MSSU in the game as it hit 12 shots beyond the arc. The Lions had more points on three-point field goals (36) and two-point field goals (34) in the game. FHSU shot a blazing 56.3 percent from the field, while holding the Lions to 47.5 percent shooting.
Fort Hays State had dropped five straight contests to NABC Top 25 teams in Gross Memorial Coliseum until the win Thursday night. The last win occurred against a No. 25 ranked Central Missouri team on February 11, 2012. FHSU is now 17-14 all-time against NABC Top 25 ranked teams inside the coliseum in its NCAA Division II history. It was also the first win over a D2SIDA Top 25 ranked team since 2016-17, when FHSU defeated a No. 15 ranked Washburn squad.
Fort Hays State closes out the regular season on Saturday (Mar. 2) when it hosts Pittsburg State for Senior Day at Gross Memorial Coliseum. Game time is set for 4 pm. Five seniors will be playing their final game at the coliseum, which includes Kyler Kinnamon, Marcus Cooper, Trey O’Neil, Grant Holmes, and Brady Werth.
