By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
KEARNEY, Neb. – Fort Hays State closed out the 2022-23 regular season with a 45-42 win at Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday (Feb. 25). The Tigers moved to 20-8 overall and went 15-7 in the MIAA. Nebraska-Kearney finished the season at 5-23 overall, 3-19 in the MIAA. FHSU tied for third in the MIAA regular season standings and will be the No. 3 in next week’s MIAA Tournament.
Both teams struggled shooting the ball in the low-scoring affair. UNK made the first basket of the game for a 3-0 lead, but the Tigers made the next two baskets and never trailed again in the first half. FHSU went on an 8-0 run to end the first half, capped on a 3-point field goal by Bjarni Jonssonjust before time expired. FHSU led 23-15 at the break.
The Tigers took their largest lead of the game at 31-21 with 14:06 remaining, but UNK rallied back with an 11-0 run to take a 32-31 lead with 10 minutes to play. The lead went back and forth a bit before FHSU used a 7-0 run to climb back ahead 41-35. The Lopers got back within one at 43-42 with a minute to go, but Kaleb Hammeke pushed the lead back up to three with a pair of free throws at 15 seconds remaining after a defensive stop. UNK’s last-second 3-point attempt was blocked by Traejon Davis, who sealed the win for the Tigers.
Kaleb Hammeke produced a double-double by scoring 11 points and pulling down a career-high 15 rebounds to lead the Tigers. He was the only FHSU player to reach double figures in scoring. He also led the team in assists with four. Elijah Nnanabu had nine points and Iyen Enaruna had eight.
Darrian Nebeker was the only UNK player to reach double figures in scoring with 10 points. Winston Cook pulled down 13 rebounds for the Lopers.
As the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament, the Tigers will face No. 6 seed Rogers State in the quarterfinals on Friday (Mar. 3). Tipoff will be at 2:15 p.m. inside Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City.
MIAA Tournament
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Fort Hays State Men’s Basketball tied for third in the MIAA regular season standings and will be the No. 3 seed in the MIAA Tournament next week in Kansas City at Municipal Auditorium, presented by Citizens Bank & Trust. This is the second straight year the Tigers finished third and received the No. 3 seed. They will take on No. 6 seed Rogers State in the quarterfinals Friday at 2:15 pm.
The top 10 teams in the final regular season standings qualified for the tournament. The seven-through-10 seeds play first-round games on Wednesday, then the top six seeds will open play in the quarterfinals, with two games on Thursday and two more on Friday. Both semifinal games will be played on Saturday before the championship game on Sunday.
Limited tickets are still available until Wednesday, March 1 in the FHSU athletics office on campus (Cunningham 138) or over the phone at (785) 628-4050. Tickets can also be purchased online on the Championship information webpage.
Fort Hays State finished the regular season 20-8 overall and 15-7 in the MIAA. Rogers State finished the season 16-12 overall and 12-10 in the MIAA.
If the Tigers advance to the semifinals on Saturday, they would again play at 2:15 pm.
2022 Men’s Basketball Championship Schedule:
Wednesday, March 1 – First Round Games
11:00 a.m. | Box Office / Arena Opens
12:00 p.m. | Men’s Game 1 | No. 8 Washburn vs. No. 9 Missouri Western
2:15 p.m. | Men’s Game 2 | No. 7 Missouri Southern vs. No. 10 Northeastern State
Thursday, March 2 – Quarterfinal Games
11:00 a.m. | Box Office / Arena Opens
12:00 p.m. | Men’s Game 3 | No. 1 Northwest Missouri vs. Winner of Men’s Game 1
2:15 p.m. | Men’s Game 4 | No 2 Central Oklahoma vs. Winner of Men’s Game 2
Friday, March 3 – Quarterfinal Games
11:00 a.m. | Box Office / Arena Opens
12:00 p.m. | Men’s Game 5 | No. 4 Emporia State vs. No. 5 Lincoln
2:15 p.m. | Men’s Game 6 | No. 3 Fort Hays State vs. No. 6 Rogers State
Saturday, March 4 – Semifinal Games
11:00 a.m. | Box Office / Arena Opens
12:00 p.m. | Men’s Game 7 | Winner of Men’s Game 3 vs. Winner of Men’s Game 5
2:15 p.m. | Men’s Game 8 | Winner of Men’s Game 4 vs. Winner of Men’s Game 6
Sunday, March 5 – Championship Game
11:00 a.m. | Box Office / Arena Opens
1:00 p.m. | Men’s Game 9 | Winner of Men’s Game 7 vs. Winner of Men’s Game 8