FHSU Athletics
EMPORIA, Kan. – Fort Hays State fell to Emporia State at White Auditorium on Thursday night 58-44. The Tigers moved to 15-8 overall on the season and 8-6 in the MIAA, while the Hornets moved to 9-15 overall and 6-9 in the MIAA earning a split in the regular season series between the teams.
Struggles in recent road games continued for the Tigers, scoring just 22 points in each half. FHSU played solid defense throughout the night, entering the game leading the nation in scoring defense at 58.6 points per game. The Tigers held the Hornets right at that average, but could not muster enough offense to come out on the winning side.
The Tigers held a slim lead early in the game before the Hornets took the lead for good at the 13:08 mark and led the rest of the way. The Hornets eventually worked their lead into double figures by the 5:44 mark of the first half and led by 10 at halftime, 32-22.
The Tigers made a little push at the Hornets early in the second half, cutting the lead down to seven points, but the Hornets countered with an 11-0 run to get the lead out to 18 and kept their lead in double figures the remainder of the night. The closest the Tigers got the rest of the way was 12 points.
Kyle Grill led the Tigers in scoring with 13 points, followed by Kaleb Hammeke with 11. Shaun Riley pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. Hammeke and Riley each had a team-best three assists. The Tigers struggled to just 27.8 percent shooting from the field, while the Hornets finished at 44.2 percent.
Arhman Lewis was the only Hornet to score in double figures with 14 points. Karyiek Dixon was near a double-double with 10 rebounds and eight points.
UP NEXT
Fort Hays State looks to snap a four-game slide in road contests on Saturday when it plays at Newman University. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m. at Fugate Gymnasium in Wichita.