HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State made the first basket of the game 17 seconds in and never trailed in an 83-49 win over Kansas Wesleyan on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 16) at Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers moved to 8-3 overall with the win.
 
Fort Hays State jumped out to a 15-point halftime lead, 36-21, and steadily pulled further away in the second half. A 10-0 run pushed the lead from 26 to 36 with 4:12 remaining in the game before the final margin settled at 34. The 36-point lead was the largest for FHSU in the game.
 
Kyler Kinnamon paced the Tigers by tying his career high in points with 18. He buried three 3-point field goals, a new career high, and went 7-of-11 from the field overall, while adding a free throw.
 
FHSU had five players in double figures overall. Payton Stephens provided 14 points off the bench, while Hadley Gillum and Marcus Cooper notched 11 each. Brady Werth had 10 points, while pulling down a team-high eight rebounds.
 
The Tigers upped their shooting percentage to 53.1 percent overall for the game after shooting just 44.8 percent in the first half. FHSU hit at a 60 percent clip in the second half, going 21-of-35 from the field after the break. FHSU did well with ball movement, recording 22 assists as a team led by Aaron Nicholson with four.
 
Kansas Wesleyan shot 41.3 percent from the field overall, led by its top scorer for the season Jordan McNelly with 14 points. Nathaniel Leach added 11 points, while Ithello Cross had a team-best 11 rebounds. The Coyotes were just 2-of-16 (16.7 percent) beyond the 3-point line.
 
Fort Hays State will take a day of rest before returning to the floor Monday night (Dec. 18) at Gross Memorial Coliseum. The Tigers will face Newman University at 7 pm in a key in-region non-conference battle.