Box Score

Fort Hays State suffered its second consecutive loss, falling to Southwest Baptist 68-63 on Saturday (Jan. 7) at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. SBU ended the game on an 8-2 run over the final four minutes to pick up the road win and move to 9-7 overall and 3-5 in the MIAA. Fort Hays State is now 10-3 overall and 4-3 in the MIAA.

The Tigers looked in good shape early, building a 10-point lead early at the 11:41 mark of the first half. But, the Bearcats were not shaken by the early surge and finished the half on a 14-2 run to take a four-point lead after the Tigers led by eight at the 6:04 mark.

The second half was a see-saw battle, as neither team could take a lead bigger than four until the final minute of the game when SBU pushed the lead to five with 20 seconds remaining. The game was tied eight times and the lead changed six times in the second half. Karron McKenzie attempted a 3-point field goal with 49 seconds remaining to try and tie the game, but it was just long off the back iron. Ryan Dougherty of SBU sealed the win for SBU with a pair of free-throws with 20 seconds remaining.

Southwest Baptist was just a bit better in several facets, hitting 44.1 percent from the field (26-of-59), 40.9 percent beyond the 3-point line (9-of-22), and 58.3 percent from the free-throw line (7-of-12). Fort Hays State was 40.4 percent from the field (23-of-57), 34.8 percent beyond the 3-point line (8-of-23), and 56.3 percent at the free-throw line (9-of-16). The Bearcats outrebounded the Tigers by one (39-38) and had two less turnovers with 16, compared to 18 for FHSU.

Dougherty led SBU with 17 points on 5-of-7 shooting, which included a 4-of-5 effort beyond the 3-point line. Three other Bearcats reached double figures, which included Jake Littrel with 12, Preston Guiot with 11, and Robson Memnon with 10. Memnon had a double-double adding 10 rebounds.

Kendrick Morse led FHSU with 17 points and Lance Russell added 12 off the bench. Matt Simmons produced a double-double of 11 points and 10 rebounds. Karron McKenzie had eight assists and seven rebounds to help offset his offensive struggles as he finished with just five points.

The Tigers get one day of rest before returning to action Monday night in a battle of ranked teams with Missouri Southern. The Tigers are ranked No. 8 in Division II, while the Lions are No. 14 in Division II. Both teams lost on Saturday, as the Lions fell at Washburn.