HAYS, Kan. – Northeastern State couldn't make it two overtime wins in a row as they faded in a tough 96-87 road setback at Fort Hays State Thursday evening.
Riding momentum heading into the end of regulation, the Tigers shot 83.3 percent in overtime, outscoring the RiverHawks 14-5. All of NSU's points came from the free-throw line.
Turnovers hammered the RiverHawks, with the Tigers outscoring them 19 to 7. Fort Hays State limited itself to just five turnovers, the lowest total against an NSU team since Nov. 2020.
An offensive miscue by NSU when up 82-81 in the final seconds of regulation allowed the Tigers to pull back even and force extra time. Lost in the shuffle at the end of regulation is a go-ahead FHSU three-pointer called off with a foul before the shot. The Tigers missed the back-end free throw to set up the overtime period.
Northeastern State shared the offense with five players in double-figures.
Dillon Bailey and
Rashad Perkins both had 19 points to lead the team. Bailey was a perfect 10 for 10 at the free throw line, with NSU shooting 84.4 percent (27-32) at the stripe.
Obi Agu had 18 off the bench, one short of matching his career mark.
Christian Cook added 15, and
Tylor Arnold scored 11.
Fort Hays State's Kaleb Hammeke did most of the damage scoring a career-high 36 points, with 15 coming in the final 10:54 of game action.
The Tigers advertised its nation's best defense, allowing 32.8 percent shooting and 50.8 points per game this season. Northeastern State's offense shot 53.2 percent, better than Fort Hays' 50 percent. Heading into Thursday's contest, the RiverHawks were 4-0 when shooting better than its foe this year and 19-9 in the last two seasons.
The largest lead didn't happen until the game's final seconds, with the lead exchanging hands 11 times with seven ties.
Fort Hays State (6-1, 1-0 MIAA) won its sixth consecutive game, and it's 11th straight at home to open conference play.
Northeastern State dropped to 4-2 (1-1 MIAA) and will look to quickly put the contest in the rearview mirror. They will return to action at Nebraska-Kearney on Saturday at 4 p.m.
