Men's Basketball Fall at Cowley and Butler

Fort Hays Tech Northwest men's basketball fell to the #13 Cowley College Tigers last Wednesday, 58-94. Tech then competed against the #9 Butler Community College Grizzlies on Friday, losing 54-83.

Game vs. Cowley

It would be a slow start in scoring, with tough defense being played both ways. With the score at 8-11, Cowley would go on a 19-0 run, taking a commanding 30-8 lead with seven minutes left in the first half. Francisco Monreal would break the scoring drought for the Tigers with a made free throw, as Tech Northwest's offense finally got going. The half would end with Cowley College up 44-27 as the Tigers were able to start cutting back into Cowley's lead.

In the second half, FHNW started to find some rhythm, but Cowley took control again around the 12-minute mark, going on another huge 26-3 run to build an 83-46 lead. John Troolin would get the scoring going again with a made layup. With four minutes left, Tech Northwest would empty their bench as Cowley all but sealed their win. 

Overall, Cowley outperformed Tech in pretty much every meaningful statistical category. One notable category was attempted and made field goals, with Cowley shooting 38-67 (56.7%) compared to Tech's 19-58 (32.8%). Both teams had similar turnover rates, with Tech's 14 and Cowley's 11. FHNW had two players in double figures, with Chase Harris leading the way with 14 points and Idris Williams with 11.

Game vs. Butler

It would be another slow, defensive game to start for the Tigers, with Tech leading to start and Butler taking the lead near the 14-minute mark, 7-5. Butler would proceed to go on a 35-5 run, making three three-pointers in a row at one point as Tech could do virtually nothing to stop the Grizzlies' offense, stretching their lead to 40-14. The half would end with Butler up 50-22. 

Butler would pick up right where they left off, kicking off the half with a pair of triples. However, the second half would prove to be much more competitive with the Tigers playing much better on both ends of the floor. Unfortunately, it would not be enough to overcome their first-half deficit. FHNW would hold Butler to 33 points in the second half while scoring 32 points of their own. 

Despite the final score, Tech Northwest had a much-improved game. The Tigers did a decent job drawing fouls in the paint, shooting over twice as many free throws as Butler. Both teams had 16 turnovers, but Butler capitalized on FHNW's mistakes, scoring 31 points off turnovers. In terms of shooting, Butler made 31 of 74 field goals (41.9%), while Tech hit 20 of 63 (31.7%). Chase Harris would be the lone Tiger with double-digit points (17). 

The Tigers will look to bounce back this Wednesday, December 11th, as they travel to Pratt Community College, where they'll look to take on the 6-5 Beavers.