HAYS, Kan. --- It came down to the final minute of the game Friday evening at Gross Memorial Coliseum, but its was Fort Hays State that was able to come away with the 66-61 win over Minnesota State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

With the loss, MSU finishes its season with a 21-7 record, while FHSU improves to 29-3. The Tigers will take on the winner of the game between St. Cloud State and Missouri  Southern on Saturday, at 7:30 p.m.

The scoring remained low early on in the first half as the Tigers held a 15-12 lead by the end of the first quarter. Sophomore Joey Batt paced the Mavericks with eight points in the first quarter, as the Mavericks forced eight FHSU turnovers.

The second quarter saw the Mavericks get back to within one of the Tigers at 17-16 with 8:20 to go, but a 7-0 run by Fort Hays State put the Tigers up 24-16 with 4:41 to go in the half. MSU managed to get back within six points of the Tigers with just over three minutes to go in the half, but FHSU ended the second quarter on a 10-3 run to take a 36-23 lead into halftime.

Batt led the Mavericks in the first half with 10 points, while freshman Destinee Bursch added four points. Senior Tayla Stuttley hauled in five rebounds also as the Mavericks shot 26.5% from the field in the opening stanza.

Katie Wagner led the Tigers in the first half with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Olivia Hollenbeck netted six points. As a team, FHSU shot 40.5% from the field in the first half.

The third quarter saw the Tigers maintain at least a seven-point lead as they carried a 54-43 lead into the fourth quarter. The Mavericks would not go quietly though as they opened the fourth quarter on a 12-2 run to pull within one of the Tigers at 56-55 with 6:20 to go.  Four different Mavericks recorded a basket during that stretch, including Bursch who tallied five points.

FHSU managed to go back up by five at 60-55, but MSU would respond with a 6-0 run of its own, including a pair of baskets from senior Rylee Menster to put MSU up for the first time in the second half at 61-60 with 3:52 to go. The score remained 61-60 MSU up until the final minute of the game, but FHSU was able to net the final five points of the game to lock down the 66-61 win.

Batt led the Mavericks with 21 points, four rebounds and four assists. With her 21 points, Batt became the fifth Maverick in program history to net at least 20 points in an NCAA Tournament and the first since Ali Wilkinson netted 20 points against Arkansas Tech back in 2013. Bursch finished with 12 points, while sophomore Taylor Theusch netted 11 points, behind a 3-of-6 showing from downtown.

As a team, MSU shot 31.5% from the field as it forced 28 Tiger turnovers. 

Katie Wagner led all scorers with 23 points and 16 rebounds for a double-double. Jaden Hobbs added 11 points and nine rebounds as well.

As a team, Fort Hays State shot 39.7% from the field. The Tigers also hauled in 58 rebounds and passed out 16 assists.

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