FHSU Athletics
LAWRENCE, Kan. – The Fort Hays State Men's Basketball team got their 2023-24 season underway on Wednesday night with an exhibition game against the University of Kansas.
The Kansas Jayhawks opened the game with a quick 6-0 run, attacking the paint with Hunter Dickinson. Dickinson recorded nine of Kansas' first 11 points. The Tigers waited just over two minutes for their first bucket coming by way of a Kaleb Hammeke layup. Bjarni Jonsson followed moments later with a layup to make the score 6-4, but that's as close as the Tigers would get to the preseason No. 1 overall team in the country.
KU rattled off a 6-0 scoring run heading into the second media timeout of the night, leading the Tigers 19-8 with 11:57 left in the first half. Fort Hays State not only worked to remove the lid off the basket, but also had to fight against foul trouble through the first 20 minutes of play. Fort Hays State shot 8-of-30 from the field and was charged with 13 personal fouls in the first frame. The Tigers caught a burst of life off their lone first half 3-pointer from Traejon Davis, making it a 37-21 game with 2:39 left before the break and forcing KU into a timeout. Lucas Hammake was able to beat his man off the dribble and score a tough runner in traffic to close out the half, trailing 43-23.
The Tigers scored the first four points of the second half but the slight momentum that was built was quickly erased by Kevin McCullar Jr. who had eight points in just 11 minutes in the second half.
The run of the night for the Fort Hays State offense took place late in the second half when the Tigers rattled off 10 unanswered points in a two-minute span, trimming the Kansas lead to 18 points. The scoring spurt included five straight points from Elijah Nnanabu, a made jumper by Shaun Riley, and a Jaheim Holdon three-pointer.
Fort Hays State shot far better in the second half from behind the three-point line at 50 percent, going 6-for-12 from deep. The Tigers had six different players net a three including Nnanabu who knocked down two threes and led FHSU in scoring with 14 points. Traejon Davis added nine points, while Kaleb Hammeke finished with eight.
McCullar Jr. led the scoring attack for the Jayhawks with 21 points, drilling four shots from beyond the arc. Hunter Dickinson and KJ Adams Jr. also finished in double figures with 14 and 17 points respectively.
The Tigers are set to open regular season play with a pair of neutral site game against Southwestern Oklahoma State on Friday, Nov. 10 and Arkansas Tech on Saturday, Nov. 11.