Men's Basketball Win Over Hutchinson

Fort Hays Tech Northwest Men's Basketball won over the Hutchinson Community College Blue Dragons on Saturday, with a 73–60 victory to secure their sixth win of the season. 

It was a slow start for both teams, with Jasiah Shields sinking a three-ball three minutes in to get the scoring started for the Tigers. Tech followed with an 8–0 run before Hutchinson scored its first basket nearly five and a half minutes into the contest. The Tigers' offense continued to roll, as a 13–4 surge pushed the lead to 21–6, forcing the Blue Dragons to call a timeout with 9:23 remaining in the half. Hutchinson responded with a 9–0 run before Tech ended the drought on a Riccardo Marzetti three-pointer with six minutes remaining. Each team would continue to battle for the remainder of the half, with the Tigers leading 30-21. 

Hutchinson opened the second half with a dunk from Bobby Cannon to get the scoring started. However, Tech remained undeterred, continuing to grind away on offense. The Tigers would quickly extend their lead back out to double digits and never look back, stretching the margin to as many as 23 points with just under four minutes remaining. Hutchinson closed the game on a 13–3 run, but it proved too little, too late for the Blue Dragons with Tech securing the win, 73-60.

A key factor in the Tigers' victory was their dominance on the offensive glass, scoring 15 second-chance points off 14 offensive rebounds. Hutchinson, by comparison, managed just two second-chance points on three offensive boards.

The Tigers would have three players in double figures, with sophomore Marquintez Dixon leading the way with a game-high of 20 points, Kaleel Kelly with 12 points, and Matija Otasevic with an 11-point, 12-rebound double-double.

FHNW Men's Basketball will return to competition at home on Wednesday, where they will take on the Pratt Community College Beavers.