HAYS, Kansas — The return of Moses Dayee proved big on Saturday as the 15th-ranked Tigers handed Northwest Missouri State its first loss of the season by a score of 83-64. Dayee tied for a team-high 19 points with Matt Simmons, who both shot over 75 percent from the field. Fort Hays State pulled NWMSU back into a tie for first place in the conference as both teams are now 9-1 overall and 3-1 in the MIAA.
The Tigers built a 14-point lead of 39-25 at halftime. The Bearcats cut that lead to eight points three times early in the second half, but the Tigers withstood the charge and pushed the game back into double figures the rest of the way.
Dayee was red-hot from beyond the 3-point line, hitting 5-of-6 3-point field goal attempts. He buried his first shot attempt of the game beyond the arc and fed off that energy the rest of the game. He finished 7-of-9 overall from the field and led the Tigers in scoring at halftime with 11 points.
Simmons was very efficient on the interior, finishing with 19 points on 8-of-10 shooting from the field. He was a perfect 3-of-3 from the free-throw line. He also finished with a team-high nine rebounds.
Tyrone Phillips (14 points) and Karron McKenzie (12 points) also reached double figures for the Tigers.
Fort Hays State shot 53.6 percent overall from the field and 47.1 percent from beyond the 3-point line. The Tigers shot well from the free-throw line at 78.9 percent (15-of-19). Northwest Missouri State finished at 44.2 percent overall and 34.6 percent beyond the 3-point line. FHSU outrebounded the Bearcats by 11 (35-24).
Kyle Haake led Northwest Missouri State with 17 points, which included three 3-point field goals. Jake Reinders finished a perfect 7-of-7 from the field with 15 points. He also led the Bearcats with seven rebounds.
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FHSU basketball teams win big over NW Missouri
The women's basketball team led wire-to-wire to also knock of Northwest Missouri State, 65-45 Saturday afternoon at Gross Memorial Coliseum. The win was the third in a row for the Lady Tigers and improves them to 10-1 (3-1 MIAA) on the year.
Traci Keyser got FHSU going early on, putting in five of the team's first seven points as they built an early 7-2 advantage. Northwest Missouri State cut the lead to three on two occasions before the Lady Tigers began to roll.Crista Bechard knocked down a 3-pointer that started a 7-0 run which put FHSU up 16-6 with 14:14 to play. Melissa Nelson came off the bench to hit three 3-pointers and score 10 points in the first half and FHSU went to the locker room with a 35-21 lead.
Fort Hays State maintained at least a 10-point advantage throughout the second half, stretching it to a high of 24 at 63-39 following a pair of Kelsie Sorenson free throws with 4:39 to play. Northwest would add on a couple of baskets to post the final margin of 65-45.
Katelyn Edwards recorded her fourth double-double of the season to lead the Lady Tigers with 17 points and 16 rebounds. She also tied a season-high with four assists for the second consecutive game. Nelson chipped in 16 off the bench while Keyser finished with 12. Janel Durler pulled down a season-high nine rebounds for FHSU, who outrebounded the Bearcats 56-38.
No player for Northwest Missouri State reached double figures in scoring, with Maggie Marnin leading the team with nine points. Annie Mathews had eight rebounds for the Bearcats, while Abby Henry and Ashleigh Nelson each had three assists. The Bearcats fall to 2-9 on the season and they are still looking for their first conference win.
