Fort Hays State fell to Southwest Baptist on a buzzer-beating layup Monday evening (Jan. 5) in Hays. The Tigers (8-5, 2-3 MIAA) had the ball to take the last shot of regulation, but a three-point field goal attempt went out of bounds left 1.8 seconds, leaving enough time for SBU (7-7, 2-3 MIAA) to throw a baseball pass the length of the floor, catch at the top of the key, and drive to the rim getting the shot off just before the buzzer.

FHSU managed to get the game tied 70-70 on a 3-point play by Craig Nicholson with 1:30 remaining in the game. Southwest Baptist then chewed up a good portion of the clock, getting an offensive rebound after a miss before missing again with 28 seconds as Nicholson secured the ball for FHSU. FHSU called timeout with 22 seconds to go.

Out of the timeout, it looked as though the Tigers would chew up all of the clock in regulation as Craig Nicholson dished to Royce Williams on the wing with about five seconds, but Williams' shot missed left and went out of bounds with 1.8 seconds remaining. Looking as though overtime was likely with SBU inbounding at the other end of the floor, what happened next left the Tiger team and fans stunned.

Finn Delaney of SBU caught the ball at the top of the key and was able to spin around his man and get a buzzer beating layup off just in time to lift the Bearcats to victory. The Bearcat freshman played well all night, scoring 13 points.

This was a game that slipped away from the Tigers, as they struggled offensively early, but managed to take a seven-point halftime lead on a James Fleming 3-point field goal just before time expired in the first half. SBU held the lead from the 19:14 mark to the 5:36 mark of the first half before a Nicholson layup tied the game 19-19. FHSU went in front for the first time on an Achoki Moikobu 3-point field goal at 4:48 off an assist from Nicholson.

The Tigers were in good shape early in the second half, pushing their lead to 10 twice early before the Bearcats clawed their way back. FHSU led by nine at 14:40, but saw that lead shrink to two points by the 13:08 mark. A Bearcat 3-point field goal at 11:33 put them in front for the first time since the first half. The Tigers grabbed the lead briefly twice after that, but SBU went on a 9-0 run to take a seven-point lead with 5:06 to go.

The Tigers immediately answered with a 7-0 run as Moikobu buried a three, Jeremy Wilson had a tip-in, and Nicholson buried a pair of free-throws, knotting the game 65-65 with 3:36 to go. The Tigers would tie the game two more times before having the opportunity to win the game. Unfortunately, neither a game-winning shot or overtime were in the cards for FHSU.

Nicholson led Fort Hays State with a double-double of 17 points and 11 assists. He struggled from the field (5-of-14), but made up for it with a 7-of-8 effort at the free-throw line. Moikobu finished with 16 points, hitting 4-of-6 three-pointers, and Williams added 11 points, hitting 3-of-7 three-pointers.

Entering the game as the top rebounding team in the MIAA, the Tigers did not do well on the glass, where SBU held a 35-28 advantage. The best defensive rebound percentage team in the conference gave up 13 offensive rebounds, allowing the Bearcats to hang in the game.

David Gabrovsek led SBU with 16 points and seven rebounds. The Bearcats also kept in the game with great free-throw shooting, going 23-of-26 from the line (88.5 percent). Even though they had four less field goals than FHSU, SBU buried nine more free-throws and one more three-point field goal than FHSU. Both teams did a solid job of taking care of the ball, SBU with just 10 turnovers and FHSU with just seven.

The Tigers now turn their focus to Missouri for a two-game road swing this weekend. FHSU plays at Lindenwood on Thursday night (Jan. 8) and then Lincoln on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 10) before returning home to start the stretch against the teams in the western half of the MIAA.

University Bookstore Discount
For the game, Fort Hays State hit 8 3-point field goals. As a result, you can take advantage of a 24% discount at the University Bookstore all day Monday (Jan. 5).
Valid on 1/6/15 only.  May not be combined with any other offer. Valid in-store and on FHSU clothes and gift items only. Excludes textbooks, gift cards, diploma frames, previous purchases, calculators, computer supplies/hardware/software, and professional reference. Void where prohibited by law. See store for details. Discount is only available the next business day following a home double-header FHSU basketball game.
FHSU Virtual College students must enter the code phrase (Roll Tiges) in the comments section when finalizing your online purchase at: http://www.fhsushop.com