Tyrone Phillips earned Athlete of the Week honors for his performance in two Fort Hays State men's basketball wins. The No. 25-ranked Tigers pulled out a thrilling 72-67 overtime win at Emporia State on Wednesday and then defeated Lincoln at home on Saturday, 78-63. FHSU is 13-4 on the season and 7-4 in the MIAA.
Phillips, a junior from Portland, Ore., averaged 18.5 points in the two victories. In the overtime win over the Hornets, Phillips scored 12 first-half points on 5-of-7 shooting, including two 3-pointers. He finished the game with 14 points, which was second on the team behind Moses Dayee's 15. Phillips finished with a game-high three steals and added three assists.
Phillips totaled a team-high 23 points in the 78-63 win over Lincoln. He shot 8-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-4 from behind the arc. In a season-high 35 minutes, Phillips also had three rebounds, two assists and one steal. The 23 points were the second most scored by Phillips this season behind his 24-point performance against Central Christian on Nov. 18.
For the season, Phillips is averaging 12.1 points per game, which is second on the team behind Karon McKenzie's 12.2, 1.7 rebounds, one steal and one assist. He is shooting 52.1 percent from the field and 42.3 percent from 3-point range, while also shooting 80 percent from the free throw line.
The Tigers head to the road for their next three games, traveling to Northwest Missouri on Saturday (Jan. 28) at 3 p.m. in Maryville, Mo. FHSU then travels to Missouri Western on Monday (Jan. 30) and then to Washburn on Saturday, Feb. 4.
