St. Joseph Post
The Missouri Western men's basketball team got back in the win column Tuesday as they held on at Fort Hays State, 78-73.
It's the first win for the Griffons (12-9) in Hays since the 2008-09 season.
Missouri Western came into the game tied with Fort Hays and Lincoln for fourth place in the MIAA, and the top four teams will host a MIAA quarterfinal game next Wednesday.
The Griffons are now all alone in fourth place for the time being.
After falling behind early to FHSU, 9-6, Missouri Western scored eight straight points and went on an 11-2 run to take the lead and they never relinquished it in the first half. MWSU led by as many as nine in the first 20 minutes and led 39-36 at the break.
Fort Hays State regained the lead early in the second half as they scored the first four quarter to cap off a 10-0 run, but Missouri Western responded with seven straight points to take a 46-40 lead and they never trailed again.
MWSU led by as many as seven points in the second half and the Tigers pulled to within one possession four times over the final ten minutes, but the Griffons continued to hold off Fort Hays.
FHSU pulled to within one point, 74-73, with 38 seconds left but Missouri Western got two free throws from Tyrell Carroll, a defensive stop and two more free throws from Reese Glover to seal the win.
Carroll had a big night to lead the Griffons with 25 points, seven assists, five rebounds and four steals. Caleb Bennet added 17 points and eight rebounds, while Q Mays scored 15 points off the bench.
The Griffons shot 45.0% (27-60) from the field and 22.2% (4-18) from the three-point line. They were also an impressive 90% (20-22) from the foul line.
Missouri Western will close out the regular season on Saturday as they host Nebraska-Kearney at 3:30 p.m. inside the MWSU Fieldhouse for Senior Day. The game will be carried on KFEQ Radio (680 AM, 95.3 FM) with pregame coverage starting at 3 p.m.