By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Fort Hays State is still in search of its first MIAA win this season following a 79-68 setback to Pittsburg State in Hays on Monday night (Jan. 6). The Gorillas shot 75 percent from the field over the final 10 minutes to escape Hays with their first conference win of the season. FHSU is now 6-6 overall, 0-4 in the MIAA, while PSU moved to 5-8 overall, 1-3 in the MIAA.
Both teams struggled in turning the ball over early in the game. At the half, Pittsburg State had 10 turnovers and FHSU had nine. The combined 19 turnovers was just five shy of the total field goals made in the half (24). Despite a bad rash of turnovers from both teams, Pittsburg State managed to shoot 52 percent from the field (13-of-25) and FHSU shot 44 percent (11-of-25).
It was a bad night for the nation’s sixth-best free-throw shooting team to struggle at the line. FHSU entered the game hitting at an 81.4 percent clip, but left the game at 79 percent overall for the season after just an 11-of-20 performance for the night. The Tigers missed the majority of their free throws in the first half, just 5-of-12, which was a factor toward a 33-29 deficit at the half.
After having a pair of brief one-point leads in the first half, FHSU moved back in front by one by scoring the first five points of the second half. Pittsburg State regained the lead and led by five before FHSU used a quick 7-0 run to take their largest lead of the game, a two-point 48-46 advantage on a Calvin Harrington 3-point field goal with 12:48 remaining. A 6-0 Gorilla run shifted the lead back the other direction again, but the Tigers used a 4-0 run to knot the score 52-52 with 10:25 to go.
Pittsburg State caught fire in the final 10 minutes of the game, which turned out to be the difference. The Gorillas shot 75 percent (9-of-12) over the final 10 minutes to close the game on a 27-16 run. In just the first two minutes of that span, PSU went on a 10-0 run to claim a 62-52 lead. FHSU chipped away, bringing the advantage down to just three with a 9-2 run of its own, but an old-fashioned three-point play by Christian Edmondson and a 3-point field goal by Dejon Waters, Jr. dashed the hopes of a Tiger comeback. The margin never dropped below five in the final 3:30 as the Tigers finished 0-of-6 from beyond the 3-point arc in the final 10 minutes of the game.
The Gorillas had a balanced scoring effort with six players reaching double figures. Jah-Kobe Womack led the way with 18, while A.J. Walker added 15. Ray Elliott, Waters, and Edmondson all had 12, and Antonio Givens II had 10.
Jared Vitztum led the Tigers with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field and a 2-of-3 effort at the free-throw line. Nyjee Wright added 13 and Devin Davis had 11.
The Gorillas finished at 58 percent overall from the field (29-of-50), while hitting 11 3-point field goals. That helped offset their 17 turnovers in the game. The Tigers finished at 46.4 percent for the game and just 55 percent at the free-throw line, while making just five 3-point field goals.
The Tigers head on the road this coming week to Northeastern State (Thursday, Jan. 9) and Rogers State (Saturday, Jan. 11) before returning home the following week with games against in-state rivals Emporia State and Washburn.