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Tiger men lose big
3/2/2008
By NICK McQUEEN
Hays Daily News
Mark Johnson said it best.
The seventh-year head coach of the Fort Hays State University men's basketball team compared Saturday's Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association matchup at Gross Memorial Coliseum to a heavyweight fight.
It was a fight that the Tigers were seemingly outmatched, and, according to Johnson, "would have been called after the third round or so."
Northwest Missouri State University scored early and often, and became just the second team to win at GMC this season. The Bearcats wrapped up the No. 2 seed in this week's MIAA postseason tournament with a 73-51 drubbing of the Tigers.
"It really comes down to toughness, and Northwest Missouri out-toughed us from the time the ball went up to when the final horn sounded," Johnson said.
A 13-0 early run boosted by several 3-pointers for the Bearcats put the Tigers, who never lead, in a huge hole. Northwest Missouri State had a 16-4 lead halfway through the first half, and never let up. Junior forward Hunter Henry put up a game-high 21 points, hitting 2-of-5 from beyond the arc, while Fort Hays didn't have an answer on the offensive end.
"They came out and stuck it to us, and we didn't respond the way we should have," Tiger freshman guard Corbin Kuntzsch said. "They were a tougher team tonight."
Fort Hays (18-9 overall, 10-8 MIAA), the No. 5 seed in this week's tourney, trailed by as many as 26 points in the first half, while shooting just 26.1 percent from the floor. Northwest Missouri (20-7, 12-6), which will face No. 7 Pittsburg State University in Friday's first round, hit a sizzling 62.5 percent from the floor before the break, and never looked back.
"This wasn't easy," Northwest Missouri coach Steven Tappmeyer said. "This was an unusual game. We got off to a real good start, but you know a team like Hays is going to make a run. They got it to 14 or 15, but we had a couple things bounce our way."
After trailing 43-22 to end the first half, the Tigers cut the lead to 14 with 14:25 to play, but a quick 3 by Henry changed the Tigers' fortunes.
"Hunter Henry was a really good player tonight," Johnson said. "They shot it well, and we really had a big part in allowing them to play that well."
Fort Hays put two players in double figures, led by junior guard Tyrone Evans. Evans hit several late 3s en route to 12 points, matched by Kuntzsch, who hit 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. The Tigers hit just 37 percent for the game, while Northwest Missouri ended at 55.8 percent.
"When your shots aren't falling, it's tough to play," Kuntzsch said. "You have to work through those hard times, and we didn't do that tonight.
"We caught (Northwest Missouri) on a hot night. We didn't play as good as defense as we should have, but give them credit -- they knocked them down," he added.
The Tigers will play fourth-seeded Missouri Southern State University in Friday's 2:15 p.m. game in Kansas City, Mo.
Assistant sports editor Nick McQueen can be reached at (785) 628-1081, Ext. 128, or by e-mail at nmcqueen@dailynews.net.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | W 17-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | L 4-3 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 15-7 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 5-4 |
| SB | 5/02 | Central Missouri | L 3-1 |
| SB | 5/02 | Missouri Western | W 3-2 |
| SB | 5/01 | Pittsburg State | W 6-0 |
| SB | 5/01 | Emporia State | L 11-0 |
| BB | 4/30 | Kansas Wesleyan | W 14-1 |
| BB | 4/30 | Kansas Wesleyan | W 12-2 |
