File photo
By CAYDEN SANDERS
Tiger Media Network
The Fort Hays State University men’s basketball team competed against the No. 17 Northwest Missouri State Bearcats at home Thursday night. FHSU ended a 16-game losing streak to Northwest, winning a defensive battle, 57-49.
Having not won against the Bearcats since 2013, it was a huge win for the older players on the team.
“We have been fighting them since before I was here. Coach (Johnson) said they have had our number the last 16 times. For Coach, he has been fighting them for longer,” junior guard Kaleb Hammeke said. “We needed the win not just for us older guys but for the new guys in the program and even Coach Johnson, and this game showed us a team we can be.”
Senior Bjarni Jonsson has played 105 games in the black and gold and said this is a big win for him.
“This was great, we have been trying to get this win since I have been here, which is five years. We did a great job tonight; it was a big team effort,” Jonsson said.
FHSU (6-2, 2-1) and Northwest could not find the basket, as both teams’ defenses showed out all night. FHSU led 20-19 at halftime and earned the lead by shooting 4-10 beyond the arch in the first half with big buckets from Jonsson and Hammeke.
Defensively for the Tigers, they did not allow much for Northwest Missouri State (5-2, 2-1) as the Tigers held the Bearcats to 1-8 shooting from three-point range, and 38% shooting from the floor in the first half.
The lid came off a bit in the second half for FHSU, as the Tigers scored 37 points on 47% shooting and continued to run NWMSU off the three-point line, limiting the Bearcats to just 2-16 (12.5%) shooting from deep for the game.
“I thought we won with toughness, the first half, we didn’t play well and that’s what Northwest does to you. I thought we make enough threes before the half to give us the lead,” Johnson said. “I thought from the 13-minute mark in the second half we just played big. Elijah (Nnanabu), R.J. Crawford and Shaun Riley played big games tonight.”
For the Tigers, this win was big for even the new guys.
“This game was a lot of defense mainly, we just had to play it out. We knew it was going to be a big game,” Crawford said. “They (the team) have been on me about shooting the ball a lot lately, so I decided I was going to let it fly tonight. I just let the game come to me and my teammates.”
Crawford ended the night with a game and high 16 points to go along with four rebounds and two steals. Hammeke scored 13 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out three assists. Jonsson also contributed six points, five rebounds, one assist, and one block.
The Tigers do not have long to celebrate the victory over the Bearcats, as the Tigers welcome the 7-1 No. 22 Missouri Western Griffons to Hays on Saturday.
“Western is in another big game. We don’t want to celebrate this win for only tonight. We want to win and celebrate the two big wins for the rest of the week,” Jonsson said.