Box Score  No. 24 Fort Hays State rallied back from a 10-point first half deficit to take the lead inside the final two minutes, but couldn't hold on as Pittsburg State knocked off the Tigers, 71-67, at Gross Memorial Coliseum on Saturday (Feb. 15).
 
The loss is the second consecutive for FHSU, putting the Tigers at 16-6 overall and 9-6 in the MIAA.  PSU is now 19-6 (12-3 MIAA).
 
Kate Lehman posted her third consecutive double-double (and No. 14 of the season) with 15 points and 11 rebounds.  Her six swats were a career-high and moved her into a tie for 10th all-time in NCAA Division II career blocks.
 
Chelsea Mason led the team with 20 points – her sixth 20-plus point performance of the season – after hitting nine of her 17 field goal attempts.
 
Katelyn Edwards had eight points and two rebounds in her return to the court – playing 16 minutes and hitting 50 percent of her field goals (4-of-8).
 
Keriann Shaw just missed a double-double of her own, finishing with eight points and seven rebounds after earning her sixth start of the season.
 
Both teams shot 37.3 percent from the field as the Tigers hit on 22-of-59 attempts, but Fort Hays State struggled from beyond the arc, hitting a season low one 3-pointer on 14 attempts (7.1 percent).
 
At the charity stripe, Fort Hays State shot 73.3 percent (22-of-30), slightly better than PSU's 73.1 percent performance (19-of-26).
 
FHSU's largest lead of the night (six) came early in the first half, as the Tigers jumped out to a 12-6 lead with 14:32 left in the first half.  Though PSU climbed to within two soon after (12:37), free throws from Mason and Tera Ingalsbe built the lead back to five, 15-10 just inside the 11-minute mark. 
 
From there, however, PSU started a 17-3 run over the span of over six minutes that gave the Gorillas a 27-18 lead with 4:53 remaining in the half.
 
Down 10 (35-25) inside two minutes to play, a layup from Edwards started a 6-3 run, including two layups from Lehman, to send the Tigers to the break, down seven points (38-31).
 
Shaw hit two free throws just 14 seconds into the second half to pull FHSU within five, and two minutes later made a layup to shrink the deficit to four (39-25).
 
Just prior to the 15-minute mark, Mason hit the Tigers' lone 3-pointer of the game to pull FHSU back to one, 41-40.  Though the deficit would climb back to seven soon after, FHSU saw the one-point margin five minutes later (10:10) when Mason's runner from the top of the key found the bottom of the net.
 
PSU once again built its lead back up, holding a five point advantage with 8:25 to go.  After back-and-forth play between the teams set the score at 61-56 with 5:11 to play, a quick four-point burst from the Tigers had the home team down by just one, 61-60. 
 
Down five with 3:16 to play, the Tigers' last run of the game lasted over three minutes, giving FHSU its first lead since the 9:06 mark of the first half.  Shaw's free throws with 1:39 on the clock pushed FHSU ahead, 66-65; a lead that lasted until 45 seconds remained.  Lizzy Jeronimus'layup at that point put PSU back ahead – this time for good. 
 
The Tigers return to action on Wednesday, Feb. 19 in Topeka, Kan., against Washburn at 5:30 p.m.