HAYS, Kan. — A running layup from Fort Hays State put the Tigers up 85-84 with 20 seconds to go and proved to be the game-winner as the 23rd-ranked Missouri Southern men’s basketball team fell 89-84 tonight inside Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Southern (22-6, 13-5 MIAA) was led offensively from Cam Martin as he scored 29 points and added eight rebounds, going 9-of-14 from the field and 11-of-13 from the free throw line. Braelon Walker scored 17 and went 5-of-9 from long-range, while Kinzer Lambert scored 16 and had a team-high seven assists.
FHSU (17-10, 11-7 MIAA) was led by Brady Werth with 19 as four Tigers scored in double-figures.
Both teams went back-and-forth in the early part of the first half, until the Lions went on a 10-0 run and went up 25-17 with 11 minutes left on the clock after a layup from Martin. A 3-pointer from Lambert put the Lions up 30-22 with 7:43 to go in the first half, and a three from Reggie Tharp put the Lions’ lead back to ten (35-25).
A layup from Martin put the Lions up 12 (37-25) and a layup from Tharp with 1:46 to go gave the Lions a 39-31 lead. A tip-in for the Tigers as the halftime buzzer sounded gave the Lions a 41-37 lead at the break.
FHSU started the second half on an 8-2 run, giving the Tigers a 45-43 lead with 16:33 left on the clock. Hays maintained a slim lead for the next ten minutes, leading by as many as five (65-60) after a jumper from Werth.
Southern went ahead on a pair of Walker freebies with 7:27 to go and a layup from Clark with 4:57 on the clock kept the Lions up 75-73. The two teams then traded leads and buckets until the Tigers went up 85-84 after a layup from Trey O’Neil with 20 seconds left.
The Lions had the ball late, but a steal from the Tigers gave FHSU the ball back with seven seconds on the clock and Southern was forced to foul. The Tigers made their free throws to secure the win.
The Lions shot 48 percent from the field and 46 percent from the three-point line.
