Box Score

Fort Hays State closed out the 2012 calendar year and its non-conference slate with an 85-60 win over South Dakota School of Mines on Saturday (Dec. 29). It pushed the Tiger winning streak to six games as they now sit at 8-2 heading into the remainder of conference play, which resumes on January 3 at Northeastern State.

The Tigers had a sluggish start as they trailed for about the first seven minutes until Craig Nicholson tied the game 9-9 with a pair of free-throws at the 13:02 mark. That occured amid a 10-0 run that pushed the Tigers to a 14-9 lead. The Hardrockers chipped away to tie the game again at 21-21. The teams traded points to a 25-25 tie, but the Tigers went on a 13-0 burst to close the opening half to lead 38-25 at halftime.

Up 15 at the 15:14 mark of the second half, the Tigers used a 12-0 burst to put the game out of reach, taking a 27-point lead with 12:02 remaining. The lead grew as large as 34 points with 4:07 remaining before the Hardrockers scored 14 points inside the last four minutes to trim the final margin back to 25.

Ben Congiusta, who had just four points and was 0-of-3 beyond the 3-point line at halftime, caught fire in the second half going 4-of-5 beyond the arc to finish with a team-high 16 points. Dwayne Brunson finished with a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds and Lance Russell matched Brunson's scoring total, also finishing with 14. Craig Nicholson also reached double figures with 12 points and he had a team-high eight assists. Brunson and Rundell Mauge had 11 of Fort Hays State's 12 blocked shots in the game, Brunson with six and Mauge with five.

FHSU finished 47.5 percent from the field and 45.5 (10-of-22) percent beyond the 3-point line. The Tigers also had a solid night at the free-throw line, hitting at an 81 percent (17-of-21) clip. The Tigers held the Hardrockers to 33.3 percent shooting from the field and a 30.8 percent effort beyond the 3-point line. Caleb Shockman was the only South Dakota Mines player to score in double figures with 17.

Fort Hays State returns to action on Thursday, January 3 at Northeastern State in Tahlequah, Okla. Both teams are out to 2-0 starts in MIAA play.