FHSU Athletics
MARSHALL, Minn. – In a matchup of teams that made the NCAA Tournament last year, Southwest Minnesota State prevailed on its home floor against No. 16 ranked Fort Hays State by a score of 68-62. The Tigers had a 31-28 lead at halftime, but saw the Mustangs slip by in the second half for the six-point win. It was the first game of the season for both teams.
Fort Hays State led for the majority of the first half. Their largest lead was eight points at the 3:24 mark of the first half when Kaleb Hammeke hit a 3-point field goal to make the score 29-21. But, the Mustangs closed the gap to just three by halftime. FHSU held the Mustangs to just 34.6 percent shooting from the field in the opening half.
The Tigers made the first basket of the second half, but saw the Mustangs go on an 8-0 run to sneak past and lead 36-33. The Tigers would never get the lead back from that point as the Mustangs found a way to hold them off the rest of the way. The largest SMSU lead was 12 points with just under three minutes to play, but the Tigers brought the lead back down to five twice inside the final minute.
The free-throw line was a big difference in the game for the Mustangs, where they outscored the Tigers by 14. SMSU shot 28 free throws and made 22, while FHSU shot just 10 free throws and made eight. The Tigers made 10 3-point field goals compared to six for the Mustangs, and made two more field goals overall than the Mustangs. However, it was not enough to offset the free-throw line disparity. FHSU managed to hold the Mustangs to just 37.7 percent overall from the field.
Kyle Grill led the Tigers with 15 points. He hit three 3-point field goals and went 4-of-4 at the free-throw line. Kaleb Hammeke was right behind with 14 points, also hitting three 3-point field goals and his only free-throw attempt of the game. Traejon Davis also reached double figures with 12 points. Grill, Shaun Riley, and R.J. Crawford all had five rebounds to lead the Tigers. Grill and Hammeke each had three assists.
Aeron Stevens led the Mustangs in scoring with 29 points. He was 14-of-15 from the free-throw line and pulled down eight rebounds. Dunwa Omot was the only other Mustang in double figures with 10 points. Jakob Braaten led SMSU with nine rebounds and five assists.
UP NEXT
Fort Hays State looks to bounce back against Concordia-St. Paul on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Bears won their season opener over Nebraska-Kearney in a tight 95-93 overtime contest. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. in Marshall, Minn.