Box Score

The No. 18 ranked FHSU men's basketball team held on for an 84-71 win at Newman University on Tuesday evening (Nov. 23). Fort Hays State led by 18 with 11:56 to go, but Newman trimmed the lead to just five with 1:09 remaining. The Tigers made their final six free-throw attempts to secure the win.

The Jets opened the game in a flurry on a 15-3 run, but the Tigers steadily chipped away to eventually take a four-point lead at halftime. Moses Dayee buried a 3-point field goal just before the end of the half to push the lead to four.

Newman was cold shooting the ball early in the second half, which allowed the Tigers to build the big lead. However, fouls started accumulating for the Tigers and Newman chipped away at the lead to make it interesting late. Karron McKenzie buried four of the six free throws at the end of the game to secure the win.

Dominique Jones led the Tigers in scoring with 17 points, going 5-of-16 from the field with two 3-point field goals and 5-of-6 at the line. Corbin Kuntzsch had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, going 4-of-8 from the field and 4-of-4 at the charity stripe. Dijon Smith (15) and Karron McKenzie (14) were the other Tigers to score in double figures. Ken Bowman had all nine of his points in the first half, coming just one point shy of a double-double by pulling down a team-high 11 rebounds. Matt Simmons also pulled down 10 rebounds for the Tigers. FHSU outrebounded Newman 55-37.

Keaton Schultz and Eric Saunders tied for a team high 17 points for the Jets. Saunders led Newman in rebounds with seven. William Burdette added 14 points.

The Tigers shot 45.9 percent overall, including a 50 percent effort in the second half. The Tigers struggled from deep, hitting just 4-of-16 (25 percent) 3-point attempts. The Tigers were 70.6 percent from the free-throw line (24-of-34). 

The Jets shot just 34.7 percent for the game, including 24 percent beyond the arc. They were just 57.7 percent from the field.

The Tigers host Sterling College in their final non-conference game on Saturday (Nov. 27) at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. Game time is set for 4 pm.