WARRENSBURG, Mo. – After trailing by 24 points at halftime, Fort Hays State ultimately fell by 15 at Central Missouri on Thursday night (Jan. 4) by a score of 81-66. The Tigers moved to 10-4 overall, 3-2 in the MIAA with the loss, while the Mules improved to 11-2 overall, 3-1 in the MIAA.
Poor ball security by the Tigers was a perfect recipe for a hot shooting Mules team to build a huge first half lead. The lead reached 29 points with 53 seconds remaining in the first half before the Tigers scored the final five points of the opening frame.
At the break, Fort Hays State already had 13 turnovers compared to just five for UCM. The Tigers entered the contest averaging just 10.3 turnovers per game. The Mules also had a plus-three advantage in offensive rebounds and did not allow a second-chance point to the Tigers in the first half. The Mules shot 60 percent in the first half from the field, which included six 3-point field goals, and held FHSU to just 40 percent in the opening half. UCM attempted 15 more shots from the field than FHSU in the opening half. FHSU went on to commit 20 turnovers for the game. UCM scored 30 points off of the turnovers.
Foul trouble did not help the Tigers in the second half as the team's leading scorer,
Hadley Gillum, bowed out with 9:36 to go in the game with his fifth. Entering the game averaging 18.1 points per contest, he finished with just seven.
Jared Vitztum was the top scorer for the Tigers, coming off the bench to provide 10 points. He was the only Tiger in double figures.
Aaron Nicholson and
KeShawn Wilson each provided nine points.
Central Missouri went on to finish at 54 percent from the field for the game, while FHSU improved slightly to 41.9 percent overall. Spencer Reaves and Jakob Lowrance led the Mules with 19 points each. Both teams shot free throws very well, FHSU at 88 percent (22-of-25) and UCM at 87 percent (20-of-23). Fort Hays State closed the game on a 14-4 run to bring the final margin down to 15 points.
The Tigers head to Southwest Baptist for a contest on Saturday (Jan. 6) at 3:30 pm. The Bearcats enter at 8-5 overall and 2-2 in the MIAA.
