The Missouri Western men (7-13, 2-12) took No. 23 Fort Hays (14-5, 8-5) down to the wire, but a slow second half kept the Griffons from upsetting the Tigers for a third straight year at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Western held Hays to 25 percent shooting in the first half on the way to creating a 10-point halftime lead, but fell 62-58.

Thanks in large part to two Moses Dayee three-pointers from the corner, Western couldn’t claw close enough, and missed some key free-throws down the stretch. Dayee finished 14 points to lead the Tigers on 4-11 shooting from behind the arc.

Lavonte Douglas paced the Griffons with 16 and six rebounds. Reed Mells continued his impressive late season run with 13 points, including a perfect 8-8 from the free throw line. James Harris also finished with 13 for Western and added five assists. Western shot 38.5 percent from the field in the second after shooting 47.6 percent in the first.

The Griffons out rebounded the Tigers 38-30 and scored six more points in the paint. The Hays bench outscored Western’s 34-5. The teams were close to even in almost every statistical category, but it was a tale of two halves that ended on Hays’ half.

The Griffons were led by Mells’ 11 first half points. TJ Johnson paced Western with eight rebounds in the first frame to go along with four points. The Griffons held the Tigers to just 25 percent from the field; 15 percent from behind the arc. Western also out rebounded the Tigers 22-14, and took a 10-point lead to the locker room, 31-21.

The Griffons travel to Joplin, Mo., to take on Missouri Southern this Saturday, Feb. 4 at 7:30 p.m.

— MWSU Sports Information —