By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
In a game that had 15 ties and 22 lead changes, Fort Hays State forced overtime with a late free throw and went on to win 96-87 over Northeastern State in its MIAA opener on Thursday night (Dec. 1) at Gross Memorial Coliseum. Kaleb Hammeke scored a career-high 36 points, while Gabe Pieschl notched his first career double-double that included a career-high 15 points. FHSU moved to 6-1 overall, 1-0 in the MIAA, while NSU moved to 4-2 overall and 1-1 in the MIAA.
The Tigers looked to be gaining control early by opening the game on a 12-3 run, but the RiverHawks countered with a 14-4 run to take their first lead, 17-16, at 13:13 remaining before halftime. From that point, fans got treated to an amazing back-and-forth battle the remainder of the night. NSU took a 40-38 lead to the locker room.
The Tigers opened the second half with a 9-2 run to take a five-point lead at 47-42, fueled by five points from Hammeke and four from Bjarni Jonsson. However, the RiverHawks countered with a 12-5 swing to go back up by two just over six minutes into the second half. Neither team led by more than two in the see-saw affair until NSU used a 4-0 burst to go up five with 6:35 to play. The Tigers were struggling to get stops and managing fouls when Hammeke struck for a five-point swing of his own to pull the Tigers back even. He drew a foul on a 3-point shot, drained two free throws before FHSU got the ball back on a loose ball went out of bounds off NSU. He then drove to the basket, got fouled on a made layup, and converted the free throw.
NSU scored again, but Traejon Davis hit a big basket to pull the Tigers back even. That triggered a 6-0 run of his own as he hit a layup and then a pair of then was flagrantly fouled and went to the line to hit a pair of charity tosses. FHSU led 79-75 with 3:37 to go.
Once again NSU was up to the challenge as it went on a 7-0 run to take an 82-79 lead with 26 seconds remaining. Hammeke was clutch again for the Tigers making a highly contested driving layup. Then NSU fumbled the in-bounds pass out of bounds, giving the Tigers the ball back with 16 seconds. The Tigers missed their first attempt at a game-winning basket, but the ball went out of bounds off NSU. Then, just before the clock hit zeros, Hammeke buried a 3-point field goal that sent Gross Memorial Coliseum into a frenzy. However, Jonsson was fouled setting the screen that sprung Hammeke for what looked to be the game winner. After officials consulted replay, it was clear that Jonsson was fouled well before Hammeke’s shot and Jonsson had to go to the free-throw line with 2.5 seconds remaining. Jonsson buried the first attempt, tying the game at 82-82, before his second attempt rattled in and out. NSU took a timeout, but their in-bounds heave the length of the floor was stolen by Pieschl, forcing overtime.
The Tigers would not be denied in the extra period, opening on a 9-2 run to take a seven-point lead. Jonsson hit a big 3-point field goal to push the Tiger lead to seven with 1:27 remaining. The lead eventually reached 10 when Hammeke hit a pair of free throws with 42 seconds to seal the victory and his career-high 36-point effort before the final margin settled at nine.
Hammeke scored 24 of his 36 in the second half after having just six at halftime. He was a red-hot 11-of-14 from the field after halftime. Pieschl was already flirting with his double-double by halftime, coming up big early on with 15 points and nine rebounds, then added two more rebounds in the second half. He splashed all three of his first-half 3-point field goal attempts. Jonsson was just shy of a career high with 15 points, keeping the Tigers alive in the late going and avoided a fifth foul. Davis was also just a smidge shy of his career high with 11 off the bench, picking up six of those points in a crucial time for the Tigers in the second half. Hammeke also led the Tigers in assists with four.
Rashad Perkins and Dillon Bailey paced NSU with 19 points each, while Agu had 18 points, Christian Cook had 15, and Tylor Arnold added 11. Bailey and Agu were a combined 18-of-20 from the free-throw line, Bailey being a perfect 10-of-10. Perkins had a team-best six assists.
Even though the Tigers entered the game with the best scoring defense in the nation, NSU’s offensive attack was for real as it finished just shy of its 89.8 points per game average entering the game. NSU was 71.4 percent from the field in the second half before not making a field goal in overtime. The RiverHawks finished the game at 53.2 percent, but the Tigers were up to the offensive challenge finishing at 50 percent as a team. Both teams hit 10 3-point field goals in the game. FHSU had nine more field goals which was a big difference, since NSU hit nine more free throws in the game.
The Tigers return to action on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 3) against Rogers State. The Hillcats will enter at 5-2 overall, 1-0 in the MIAA, after a 20-point win at Nebraska-Kearney on Thursday night. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at Gross Memorial Coliseum, following the women’s contest at 2 p.m.