The Fort Hays State Tigers showed why they were the No. 5 basketball team in the country on Wednesday night, using a huge second half to coast to an 83-59 victory over the Central Missouri Mules.
A 10-1 run about six minutes into the game gave FHSU the lead for the rest of the first half. The Mules kept it within striking distance before making a run at it with just more than six minutes on the clock. They cut it to three at 25-22 on a layup by junior guard Boo Hunter with 4:28 left, but that is as close as it would get.
The Tigers came out where they left off in the second, scoring the first 10 points, thanks in part to back-to-back three-pointers on their first two possessions. The lead was at 17 by the 17:51 mark. UCM cut it back to 12, but the Tigers took over from there, going on another huge rally. The margin was pushed to 24 with 5:38 remaining and the Tigers pushed it to as many as 26 with 1:15 left.
Central Missouri returns home for a contest with Nebraska-Omaha on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
