FHSU Athletics
PITTSBURG, Kan. – Fort Hays State improved to 18-9 overall and 10-8 in the MIAA with a 65-56 win at Pittsburg State on Saturday afternoon at John Lance Arena. The Tigers moved back above the Gorillas in the MIAA standings, who fell to 15-12 overall and 9-8 in the MIAA. FHSU took the lead for good with about six minutes remaining in the game, picking up its second-straight win over PSU going back to last season.
After Pittsburg State briefly held a few small leads in the first five and a half minutes of the game, FHSU took the lead with a little over 13 minutes remaining in the half and kept it all the way to half. A 6-0 burst by the Tigers, which included a 4-point play from Jahvari Martino, pushed their lead to 11 with under a minute to go. The Gorillas hit the final basket of the first half and FHSU led 31-22 at the break.
An 11-2 run by Pittsburg State erased FHSU's nine-point lead over about a six-minute span, tying the game 44-44 with just under nine minutes to play. The Gorillas went into the lead by one point two times, but a Lucas Hammeke layup near the 6:00 mark put the Tigers back on top for good. That sparked a 9-0 run by the Tigers to go up eight, which featured a pair of baskets by Dan Mukuna and a 3-point field goal by Kyle Grill. The Gorillas got back within three at the 2:53 mark, but FHSU limited PSU to just two points the rest of the game and won by nine.
FHSU limited PSU to just 36.5 percent shooting from the field for the game, while shooting 41.4 percent overall. Mukuna led the scoring for FHSU with 14 points, while Martino had 12 and Hammeke had 11. FHSU did a great job protecting the ball with a season-low three turnovers, while forcing PSU into 14. The Tigers outscored the Gorillas 15-0 on points off turnovers.
Mason English and Donald Coats each had 12 points to lead PSU. Alijah Curry added 10. Coats finished with a double-double by securing 13 rebounds.
Fort Hays State returns home to host Nebraska-Kearney in the final home game of the regular season on Thursday night (Feb. 26). Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays.