By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Fort Hays State saw its three-game win streak snapped by Missouri Southern on Thursday evening at Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Lions took the contest by a score of 68-56, improving their win streak to five games and moved to 9-4 overall, 5-2 in the MIAA. FHSU is now 10-4 overall and 5-3 in the MIAA.
The Tigers got out to a good start, building a 12-point lead of 26-14 by the 7:52 mark of the opening half. But from that point, the offense turned cold, scoring only two points the remainder of the half. The Lions went on an 18-2 run during the Tiger cold spell and took a 32-28 lead into halftime.
The Tigers pulled level with the Lions two times in the second half at the 15:58 and 15:11 marks, but a Winston Dessesow 3-point field goal put the Lions back up for good. The Lions eventually used a 7-0 burst to take a three-point lead to 10 with eight minutes remaining. The lead reached 14 four times inside the final five minutes as the Tigers could never find a run to make things interesting late.
Elijah Nnanabu and Jaheim Holden led the Tigers in scoring, each with 11 points, while Iyen Enaruna also reached double figures with 10. Nnanabu led in assists with four and Bjarni Jonsson had a team-high four rebounds.
The Lions shot a strong 52.3 percent from the field for the game, including a 9-of-20 effort beyond the 3-point line. The Lions were near perfect at the free-throw line, hitting 13-of-14 attempts. Vinson Sigmon Jr. led a balanced scoring effort for MSSU with 16 points, followed by Avery Taggart with 14. Christian Bundy and Dessesow each had 12.
Fort Hays State looks to rebound on Saturday when it hosts Pittsburg State. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Gorillas will enter at 5-9 overall, 2-6 in the MIAA.