{"id":44169,"date":"2019-03-01T08:34:55","date_gmt":"2019-03-01T14:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=44169"},"modified":"2019-03-01T11:53:54","modified_gmt":"2019-03-01T17:53:54","slug":"icymi-tigers-upset-missouri-southern-for-the-second-year-in-a-row","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tigermedianet.com\/?p=44169","title":{"rendered":"ICYMI: Tigers upset Missouri Southern for the second year in a row"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

BY CHRISTIAN PHILLIPS<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fort Hays State men\u2019s basketball squeaked out a win against the 22-5 (13-4 MIAA) Missouri Southern Lions, 89-84. This is the second-straight year the Tigers have upset the Lions inside Gross Memorial Coliseum. Brady Werth led the Tigers in scoring with 19 points, 8-17 from the field, 3-4 from the line, and nine total rebounds.
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The Tigers improve improve their overall record to 17-10, and 11-7 in MIAA play. The men also tally their 13th home win on the season (13-2).
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Marcus Cooper sparked life into the Tigers offense coming out of the second half and went for back-to-back possession with open scoring opportunities in the lane. Cooper led a 4-0 run, which tied things up a 41 a piece.
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Cooper struggled to find any offensive rhythm in the first half, as did most of the Tigers starters. However, Cooper finished the game with 18 points, 7-10 from the field, 2-4 from three, and seven total rebounds.
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Fort Hays state struggled to contest three-pointers by the Lions, as Missouri Southern went 12-26 at 46.2%. Jared Vitztum was the main victim of the three-ball this evening and Kinzer Lambert for the Lions took full advantage of it. Lambert went 4-6 from three and finished the game 16 points.
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Vitztum put aside his defensive woes and helped put points on the board when Werth was off the floor. Vitztum finished the game with 11 points, 5-11 from the field, and six total rebounds.
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The Tigers second half adjustments fueled not only better offense, but much better defense as the game reached a double digit deficit for the Tigers in the first half. Clutch three\u2019s by FHSU kept the game within striking distance. The Tigers only hit 5-13 at 35.7% from distance, but they couldn\u2019t have gone in at more crucial times in the game.
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FHSU called a timeout with 3:59 left in the second, with the score 75-73, Missouri Southern up. Kyler Kinnamon stayed aggressive out of the timeout for the Tigers and drove the ball in to bring the score to 75-75.
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Fort Hays would quickly find themselves in the bonus for the remaining of the game and it paid dividends down the stretch.
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FHSU stayed poised defensively and forced Missouri Southern to make a play. The Lions coughed the ball up and it was picked up by Marcus Cooper. Cooper was then intentionally fouled, which led to two free-throws and possession. That ultimately sealed the win for the Tigers and clutch shooting at the charity strike helped extend the lead beyond more than one scoring possession.
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The men finished 36-64 from the field 56.3%), 12-18 from the line (66.7%), and outscored the Lions in fastbreak points, 13-2 on the game. The Tigers also dominated in bench production 24-7.
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You can catch the Tigers back in action on Saturday at 4 p.m. against Pittsburg State. <\/p>\n\n\n\n