Box Score Fort Hays State had a 12-point second half led evaporate as Northwest Missouri State stormed back for a 73-66 win on Saturday (Mar. 8) in the MIAA Tournament Semifinals. Fort Hays State moved to 20-8 overall with the loss. Northwest Missouri State improved to 21-9.

The first half was tightly contested. The largest lead of the half was six points by FHSU with 2:05 remaining before the break. The Tigers led by five at halftime 34-29.

Fort Hays State methodically worked its was to a 12-point lead with 13:35 remaining and reached the margin two more times, the last after a pair of free-throws with 12:05 remaining.

From that point, Northwest Missouri turned up its defensive intensity and held the Tigers without a field goal all the way until 13 seconds remaining in the game. That allowed the Bearcats to go on a 13-1 run to eventually tie the game with 7:29 remaining.

A pair of free-throws by Marty Wendel and Lance Russell pushed the Tigers back in front by four with under five minutes to play, but the Bearcats went on a 10-0 run push past the Tigers, grabbing a six-point lead with 1:44 remaining. From that point, the Tigers had to begin fouling and could not make up the deficit the rest of the way.

It was a tale of two halves offensively for the Tigers, which shot a scorching 57.7 percent from the field in the first half but with the field goal drought late in the game, shot just 30 percent in the second half. Fort Hays State scored 18 of its 32 second half points on free-throws.

FHSU outshot NWMSU in field goal percentage, holding the Bearcats to 40.8 percent from the field. The 3-point shot was timely for the Bearcats throughout the game as they went 50 percent beyond the arc. Both teams shot free-throws very well, NWMSU at 86.2 percent and FHSU at 82.6 percent.

Ben Congiusta led Fort Hays State with 21 points, followed by Lance Russell with 16. They were the only Tigers to reach double figures. Congiusta was 7-of-12 from the field, 4-of-8 beyond the 3-point line, and 3-of-4 at the free-throw line. FHSU finished with 10 blocked shots as a team, led by Rundell Mauge with a season-high six.

Dillon Starzl was huge for the Bearcats in the second half, scoring 17 of his 20 points after the break. DeAngelo Hailey had 13 and Alex Sullivan and Bryston Williams each had 11.

Fort Hays State will now have to wait and see if making the semifinals was good enough for an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, but the Tigers were not referenced in the most recent set of Central Region Rankings.