Box Score

Fort Hays State trailed Central Oklahoma by 22 with 13:39 remaining, but the Tigers dug deep with the fight they have shown all year to rally all the way back and tie the game at the 4:30 mark. However, a 3-point field goal by Central Oklahoma's Victor Driver snapped the Tigers' momentum and the Bronchos hit free-throws down the stretch to win the game 81-69. The Tigers end their season with a record of 26-7. Central Oklahoma is ranked No. 4 and Fort Hays State is ranked No. 13 in NCAA Division II.

The Tigers had one of their worst halves of the season to start the game and trailed 38-22 at the break. Dominique Jones sat for a huge chunk of the first half with three fouls without even attempting a shot. Several other Tigers were experiencing early foul trouble and they could not find a rhythm on offense. FHSU was just 4-of-17 from the field (23.5 percent), 1-of-9 beyond the 3-point line (11.1 percent), and 13-of-23 at the line (56.5 percent) in the first half.

The Tigers started their big comeback triggered by three straight baskets from Moses Dayee who finished with 11 points off the bench. A three-point play by Dijon Smith with 10:15 remaining cut the lead to nine.

Corbin Kuntzsch put in a 3-pointer to cut the lead to seven, then after 1-of-2 free-throws from UCO, Ken Bowman cut the lead to six with a layup. Kuntzsch countered a pair of free-throws by UCO to keep the lead at six. That's when Dominique Jones took control in the run. Jones got a layup to cut the lead to four, then after a defensive stop, he popped a 3-pointer to cut it down to one.

The Tigers and Bronchos traded free-throws for a couple of possessions between the top players on each team, Dauntae Williams for UCO and Jones for FHSU. Then Jones buried a huge three to tie the game at the 4:30 mark.

In the end, it was not enough as Dauntae Williams and Victor Driver stepped up their game to hold off the comeback run of the Tigers. Williams finished with 21 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Driver had 13, hitting several key shots down the stretch. Tyler Phillips finished with 17 and Brent Friday had 10 for UCO.

Jones closed out his career at FHSU with a 21-point second half after being shutout in the first half. Jones was the team's leading scorer this year at 17.9 points per game. He also finished the season with 207 assists, averaging 6.3 per game. The two-time All-MIAA First Team selection and All-Region First Team selection will go down as one of the most exciting two-year players in the history of the program.

His senior teammates Dijon Smith and Ken Bowman will also leave a great legacy at FHSU. Smith and Bowman will finish high in the top 10 for career field goal percentage and blocked shots at FHSU. They were one of the most lethal post combinations the Tigers had in the program's NCAA Division II history. Each finished with 10 points in their final game.

Then the four-year senior Corbin Kuntzsch, who had an amazing run at Fort Hays State. He was instrumental on three teams that made NCAA Tournament appearances. He finished with 1,218 career points, which ranks 11th in school history, and seventh in career rebounds (626). Kuntzsch started (102) and played in (122) more games than any other player in the NCAA Division II history of the program. A steady player throughout his career, he will also rank among the top 10 all-time in assists and steals.