By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Fort Hays State closed out the regular season with a win over Pittsburg State on Senior Day at Gross Memorial Coliseum Saturday (Mar. 2). The Tigers erased a 15-point in the deficit and won by a score of 71-61 to move to 18-10 overall and finish 12-7 in the MIAA. The Tigers finished alone in fourth in the MIAA standings and will have the No. 4 seed at the MIAA Tournament next week in Kansas City. Pittsburg State finished at 16-12 overall, 9-10 in the MIAA and finished sixth in the conference standings.
The teams combined for 40 points in the first 10 minutes of the game, but both significantly cooled for the next 10 minutes before halftime. FHSU trailed 22-18 at that point and only scored eight points over the final 10 minutes of the first half. FHSU hit only one of its last 15 field goal attempts of the first half, but managed to keep PSU within striking distance at halftime down by just nine, 35-26.
Pittsburg State instantly extended its lead to 15 by hitting a pair of three-point field goals to open the second half, but the Tigers began chipping away, cutting the lead inside 10 a couple times before going on a 15-4 run to take a 51-50 lead with 9:30 remaining in the game. After seeing a 58-58 tie with 5:30 to go, FHSU went on a 13-0 run to put away PSU. The Gorillas nearly went scoreless over the final 5:30, but hit a three-point field goal with 22 seconds remaining to put the final margin back at 10. The second half saw a 28-point swing from the moment PSU led by 15 with 19:14 remaining, to FHSU leading by 13 with 1:04 remaining.
By leading the Tigers with his fifth double-double of the season, Brady Werth reached the 1,000-point mark in his career at FHSU. Needing just nine points going into the game to reach 1,000, Werth finished with a team-best 20 points and new career-high 14 rebounds. Two of Werth’s double-doubles this season were against Pittsburg State. Werth is now the 21st player in program history to reach 1,000 points in a career.
Trey O’Neil added 13 points, hitting a team-best three 3-point field goals, and Nyjee Wright provided a spark off the bench with 11 points.
The Tigers did a good job holding Pittsburg State’s prolific scorers well below their averages in the game. The conference’s leading scorer, Grant Lozoya, who entered the game averaging 22.7 points per game was held to just nine on 3-of-11 shooting from the field. Donovan Franklin, who entered the game averaging 21.3 per game, had just 11 points to lead the Gorillas. Franklin was the only PSU player in double figures. Christian Edmondson led PSU in rebounds with 10 and blocked shots with four. Lozoya did finish with a team-high seven assists despite his off day scoring the ball.
Fort Hays State’s five seniors played their final game at Gross Memorial Coliseum, earning the 75th win for FHSU over the last four years. They have contributed to four consecutive years the Tigers have won at least 18 games in a season.
As the No. 4 seed in the MIAA Tournament, Fort Hays State will face No. 5 seed Lincoln on Friday, March 8 at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City. Tipoff is at 12 pm.