WICHITA, Kan. – Elijah Nnanabu scored a career-high 19 points and Kaleb Hammeke scored his 1,000th career point to help the Fort Hays State men's basketball team to a 71-62 win over Newman Thursday evening at Fugate Gymnasium.
The Tigers (15-7, 10-6 MIAA) opened the game on an 8-2 run and never trailed. After the Jets tied the game 13-13, FHSU scored the next 11 and led 33-25 at halftime.
The Tigers built the lead to 12 early in the second half on the first of three Bjarni Jonsson 3-pointers. The lead would grow as high as 18 with just under eight minutes to play on a Hammeke free throw where he became the 24th player in program history to score 1,000 career points.
Nnanabu finished 7-of-13 from the floor and 4-of-16 from the free throw line and also dished out four assists and scored 19 for the third time in his career. Hammeke finished with 12 points after just two in the first half and had a team-high five assists.
Jonsson added 11 points, going 3-of-4 beyond the arc. He and Gabe
Pieschl both pulled down seven rebounds.
Stevie Strong and Latik Murphy both scored 18 to lead the Jets.
UP NEXT
The Tigers play MIAA leader Central Oklahoma on Saturday in Edmond. The
Bronchos enter the game ranked No. 6 in the NABC Top 25 and No. 4 in the D2SIDA
Top 25. UCO is 20-2 overall and 14-2 in the MIAA. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m.