FHSU Athletics
MANKATO, Minn. – Fort Hays State did everything it had to do to slow down a potent Minnesota Duluth offense in their NCAA Central Regional first round game Saturday afternoon at Bresnan Arena. The Tigers had the lead with seven seconds to go, but two missed free throws and a last second layup lifted the Bulldogs to a 59-58 loss to the matchup of NABC Top 20-ranked teams.
The No. 19 ranked Tigers ended their season at 23-8 overall, while the No. 10 ranked Bulldogs improved to 26-6 overall.
Elijah Nnanabu had a tremendous second half for the Tigers, scoring 15 of his team-high 19 points. He went to the line with seven seconds remaining and the Tigers leading by one, but unfortunately had a free throw that was half-way down the cylinder rattle out and the Bulldogs raced to the other end of the floor to score on a layup just before the final horn. Shaun Riley slipped on the play which allowed Matt Thompson to get loose on the baseline and get to the rim right before the buzzer.
The Bulldogs opened the game hot, hitting 60 percent of their field goals in the first 10:30 of the game and umped out to a 22-8 lead. The Tigers, lead Division II on scoring defense, clamped down the remainder of the game. They outscored the Bulldogs 19-9 the rest of the half to close within four at 31-27 at halftime.
The Tigers continued to grind their way back into the game in the second half. They used a 6-0 run from the 17:10 to 15:11 mark to take their first lead of the game. They built the lead to five at 46-41 on a Nnanabu jumper with 10:22 to play. The Bulldogs were able to hang close and moved back on top three times before tip-ins from Bjarni Johnsson and R.J. Crawford put the Tigers up three with 47 seconds to go.
A tough foul call gave UMD a chance to tie the game with eight seconds to go, but their top player, Drew Blair, made just one of two free throws to keep the Tigers in the lead.
FHSU held UMD over 20 points below their season scoring average but lose for the first time this season when holding an opponent under 60 points. It was also the only time the Tigers lost consecutive games this year after an MIAA semifinal loss in Kansas City.
The Tigers, who were playing in the NCAA Tournament for an eighth time under head coach Mark Johnson, won at least 23 games for the sixth time under his guidance.
Aside from Nnanabu's 19 points, Kaleb Hammeke finished with 13 as the Tigers' only other player in double figures. Shaun Riley led the Tigers with nine rebounds.
FHSU hit one more field goal in the game, but UMD had a 15-12 advantage in made free-throws which accounted for the difference. Both teams hit only two 3-point field goals.
The Tigers held one of the nation's elite scorers in Blair to just 13 points. Charlie Katona matched that 13 and Austin Andrews had 10 for the Bulldogs who advance to the second round against the winner of the Northwest Missouri State/ Southwest Minnesota State game in the regional semifinals Sunday evening.