Box Score

Fort Hays State struggled with Newman's full-court pressure in the second half, but held on for a 75-65 win on Tuesday night (Nov. 22) in Hays. Both teams entered the game undefeated on the young season. Fort Hays State moved to 4-0 with the win, while Newman dropped to 3-1.

Turnovers were an issue for the Tigers throughout the entire game. The Tigers committed a total of 24 turnovers to just 14 by the Jets. Newman scored 24 of its points off Tiger turnovers. Fort Hays State used hot shooting in the first half (58.3 percent) to offset 10 turnovers before the break to build a 15-point halftime lead.

Newman forced the Tigers into 14 turnovers and pulled down 11 of their 16 offensive rebounds in the second half to hang around. Newman cut the FHSU lead from 18 all the way to six points from the 8:28 mark to 4:20 remaining.

Free-throws, something the Tigers struggled with in the first three games of the season, were the key down the stretch to keep Newman from coming any closer. The Tigers were 9-of-12 at the free-throw line from that point. They finished at 71.9 percent for the game (23-of-32).

Tyrone Phillips led FHSU with 17 points, scoring 13 in the second half. Omar McDade, who had 12 at halftime, finished with 15. Karron McKenzie (11) and Kendrick Morse (10) also finished in double figures. Matt Simmons pulled down a team-high 14 rebounds to go with eight points, four assists, and three blocked shots. Fort Hays State finished the game at 48.9 percent from the field and 40 percent beyond the 3-point line.

Chuck Coley led Newman with 18 points, followed by Eric Saunders with 17. The Jets were held to 30.8 percent shooting for the game, which included 25.9 percent shooting beyond the 3-point line.

The Tigers get a few days off over the Thanksgiving holiday before returning to action this weekend with back-to-back games against NAIA opponents in Hays. The Tigers host Sterling College on Saturday at 4 pm and then Baker University on Sunday at 3 pm.