Box Score

The FHSU men's basketball team moved back into a tie for fifth place in the MIAA with a 66-60 win over Pittsburg State on Wednesday night (Feb. 22) in Hays. FHSU improved to 17-8 overall and 11-8 in the MIAA with the win. Pitt State dropped to 14-13 overall and 10-10 in the MIAA.

The Tigers opened the game on a 12-3 run and led by 10 twice in the first half before the Gorillas closed the half on a 10-3 run to cut the lead back to just three at 29-26. Both teams struggled from the field in the opening half, each shooting under 38 percent.

The Gorillas kept it close early in the second half, cutting the FHSU lead to one three times before FHSU went on an 11-0 run. The run was triggered by a pair of 3-point field goals from Karron McKenzie and Kendrick Morse, giving FHSU a lead of 44-33 with 13:09 remaining. The lead eventually grew to 14 at the 10:25 mark and the Tigers would hold the Gorillas off the rest of the way.

The game did get a bit interesting at the end due to missed free-throw opportunities by the Tigers. Pitt State cut the lead to four with 14 seconds remaining, but Matt Simmons and Lance Russell each hit 1-of-2 free-throw attempts to push the final back to a six-point margin.

Karron McKenzie paced the Tigers with 18 points on 8-of-13 shooting from the field. Kendrick Morse (11) and Lance Russell (10) also finished in double figures. Matt Simmons pulled down a team-high 15 rebounds. FHSU finished at 45.1 percent overall for the game, but just 50 percent (12-of-24) at the free-throw line for the second straight game.

JaVon McGee had the big game for Pittsburg State with a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds. He was the only PSU player to score in double figures. Pitt State couldn't overcome a poor shooting night (35.5 percent overall) by outrebounding the Tigers by 17 (48-31). The Gorillas finished 0-of-10 from beyond the 3-point line.

The win gave FHSU the season sweep of Pittsburg State and pushed their win streak to eight games over the Gorillas. The loss for the Gorillas locks them into the No. 7 seed at the MIAA Tournament, while the No. 5 and No. 6 seeds will be on the line for FHSU and Southwest Baptist Saturday. FHSU and SBU enter the final day of conference play Saturday in a tie for fifth at 11-8 in the MIAA. If the two tie in the standings, SBU will have the No. 5 seed by virtue of its two wins over FHSU this year. FHSU can only grab the No. 5 seed with a win over Emporia State and a loss by Southwest Baptist at Missouri Western.