Fort Hays State saw its win streak against Emporia State grow to eight games on Saturday (Feb. 7) in a 73-66 win at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. Down one with 3:55 to play, FHSU finished the game on a 14-6 run to grind out a win in a game that saw 11 lead changes and five ties. FHSU is now 15-8 overall, 8-6 in the MIAA, while ESU dropped to 11-12 overall, 4-10 in the MIAA.

It felt like an uphill battle all game for FHSU after falling down by 16 points with 8:25 to go in the first half. The Tigers made a furious charge at the end of the first half to get within three, ending with a 21-8 run.

FHSU tied the game quickly early in the second half on a three-point play by Dom Samac, but the teams would trade the lead six times before FHSU used a 6-0 burst to go up 49-44 with 13:06 to play. Emporia State would not go quietly, as it charged and grabbed the lead back at 8:31 on a Jevon Taylor three-point field goal.

The lead traded hands four more times before FHSU started to pull away at the end. Jeremy Wilson hit three-of-four free-throws inside three minutes to give the Tigers a three-point cushion, then Jake Stoppel extended it to five with two more free-throws at the 1:43 mark. Achoki Moikobu pushed the lead to six at 53 seconds by hitting one of two free attempts, then James Fleming stepped to the line with 35 seconds remaining to push the lead to eight. FHSU held ESU from scoring between the 3:11 and 0:26 marks to complete an 8-0 run. Terrence Moore hit a couple of shots late for ESU, but four more free-throws by Moikobu kept the game out of reach.

Samac led the Tigers with a 25-point effort for the second-consecutive game after the same amount on Thursday against Nebraska-Kearney. He was 10-of-14 from the field for the second straight game. Fleming had an efficient night on the offensive end, scoring 16 on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, including 2-of-3 from beyond the 3-point line and a 6-of-6 effort at the free-throw line. Wilson also reached double figures with 12. Samac nearly had a double-double, leading the team with nine rebounds, while Moikobu pulled down seven.

Moore led the ESU scoring effort with 17 points, while Jevon Taylor added 11 and Micah Swank had 10. FHSU held ESU to just 30 percent shooting in the second half and 37.5 percent for the game.

The Tigers finished 51.2 percent from the field. They shot 39 free-throws (one short of a season high) and made 28, hitting at a 71.8 percent clip for the game.

Fort Hays State remained in a seventh place tie in the MIAA standings with Central Oklahoma, but could move to sixth by the end of the night pending outcomes of games. The Tigers are back to within two games of first place in the standings, as there is a three-way tie for first at 10-4 in the MIAA between Central Missouri, Northwest Missouri State, and Lindenwood.

University Bookstore Discount
For the game, Fort Hays State hit 3, 3-point field goals. As a result, you can take advantage of a 9% discount at the University Bookstore all day Monday (Feb. 9).
Valid on 2/9/15 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