By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Fort Hays State picked up a big road win on Thursday evening (Feb. 1), defeating Missouri Western in St. Joseph. The No. 24 ranked Tigers put their defensive clamps into the Griffons for a 55-40 win, improving to 16-4 overall and 11-3 in the MIAA. Missouri Western moved to 14-6 overall and 8-6 in the MIAA.
The Tigers had a sluggish offensive start to the game, but were able to keep the Griffons close with another strong defensive effort. Down 6-0 to start the game, the Tigers finally pulled the lid off the basket about 5:40 into the contest on a Kaleb Hammeke fast-break layup. Moments later, the Tigers went on a 9-0 run to take their first lead of the game, up 14-10. The Griffons moved back in front momentarily, but the Tigers ended the first half on a 4-0 burst to hold a narrow 22-21 lead at the half.
The Tigers kept their run going to open the second half, scoring the first seven points out of the break to extend the lead to 29-21. A Griffon 3-point field goal snapped the 11-0 run going back to the first half, but it marked the only points the Griffons scored in the first eight-plus minutes of the half as they continued to struggle against the lock-down Tiger defense. An 8-0 run by the Tigers pushed the lead out to 13 with 11:36 to play.
Missouri Western had a quick 7-0 burst in less than a minute, capped at the 7:55 mark to get the Tiger lead down to just four. However, a 3-point play by Elijah Nnanabu snapped the comeback hopes of the Griffons and Bjarni Jonsson and Hammeke added buckets to get the lead back up to 11 with six minutes to play. A nine-point margin was as close as MWSU would get the rest of the way.
The Tigers posted a new season low for points by an MIAA opponent, besting the 43 they allowed at Northeastern State in the conference opener. It was also a new low for the Griffons in the all-time series with the Tigers, besting the old low of 42 which the Griffons scored in 2018 and 2022 meetings. FHSU lowered its NCAA Division II-leading scoring defense average to 57.5 for the season. The Tigers held the Griffons to just 30.4 percent shooting from the field.
Following a rough 22.6 percent shooting effort in the first half, the Tigers hit 52 percent (13-of-25) of their attempts in the second half to finish at 35.7 percent for the game. Nnanabu led the Tigers with 15 points, while Hammeke finished with 10. Hammeke led the Tigers in rebounds (8) and assists (3). Jaheim Holden was the top scorer off the bench with nine.
Like the first meeting of the season, the Tigers held the Griffons to just one scorer in double figures, that being Taye Fields with 10. Fields added 10 rebounds for a double-double.
The Tigers will now take their shot at trying to pull even with Northwest Missouri State in the conference standings race. Both teams enter their matchup of nationally ranked teams on Saturday with a 16-4 overall record, but the Bearcats are one game better in MIAA play so far at 12-2 compared to 11-3 for FHSU. The No. 16/11 ranked Bearcats play host to the No. 24/RV Tigers on Saturday (Feb. 3) in Maryville at 3:30 p.m. It will be a battle between the two best scoring defenses in NCAA Division II. FHSU won the first meeting of the season between the teams in Hays by a score of 57-49.