Box Score

The return of Moses Dayee proved big on Saturday (Dec. 17) as the 15th-ranked Tigers handed Northwest Missouri State its first loss of the season by a score of 83-64. Dayee tied for a team-high 19 points with Matt Simmons, who both shot over 75 percent from the field. Fort Hays State pulled NWMSU back into a tie for first place in the conference as both teams are now 9-1 overall and 3-1 in the MIAA.

The Tigers built a 14-point lead of 39-25 at halftime. The Bearcats cut that lead to eight points three times early in the second half, but the Tigers withstood the charge and pushed the game back into double figures the rest of the way.

Dayee was red-hot from beyond the 3-point line, hitting 5-of-6 3-point field goal attempts. He buried his first shot attempt of the game beyond the arc and fed off that energy the rest of the game. He finished 7-of-9 overall from the field and led the Tigers in scoring at halftime with 11 points.

Simmons was very efficient on the interior, finishing with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field. He was a perfect 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. He also finished with a team-high nine rebounds.

Tyrone Phillips (14 points) and Karron McKenzie (12 points) also reached double figures for the Tigers.

Fort Hays State shot 53.6 percent overall from the field and 47.1 percent from beyond the 3-point line. The Tigers shot well from the free-throw line at 78.9 percent (15-of-19). Northwest Missouri State finished at 44.2 percent overall and 34.6 percent beyond the 3-point line. FHSU outrebounded the Bearcats by 11 (35-24).

Kyle Haake led Northwest Missouri State with 17 points, which included three 3-point field goals. Jake Reinders finished a perfect 7-of-7 from the field with 15 points. He also led the Bearcats with seven rebounds.

Fort Hays State returns to action on January 2 at Truman, which starts a quick two-game road swing.