HAYS, Kan. – The Fort Hays State University Tigers finally broke through against the Northwest Missouri State University men's basketball team with a 57-49 triumph Thursday night at Gross Coliseum.
 
The Tigers had dropped 15 straight games against the Bearcats prior to tonight's eight-point home win. Northwest had scored six consecutive wins at FHSU as well.
 
Northwest saw its 18-game winning streak against MIAA opponents snapped as the Bearcats made only 14 field goals and shot 35.9% from the floor. The 14 made field goals is the fewest made by the Bearcats in head coach Ben McCollum's 15-year coaching tenure. It is the fewest amount of field goals made by Northwest since Feb. 21, 2009, when the Bearcats made 14 field goals against Central Missouri in a 78-48 setback.
 
The Bearcats drained only two of 16 three-point field goal attempts, while FHSU made 7-of-16 triples. Northwest made 19-of-22 free throws (86.4%).
 
Junior Daniel Abreu was the only Bearcat to reach double-figure scoring with 10 points. Abreu went 3-of-6 from the field and made all four of his free throw attempts.
 
Senior Wes Dreamer was held 11 points under his average as he went 2-of-13 from the floor. Dreamer came into the contest ranked No. 7 in the MIAA in scoring at 17.7 points per game and was limited to six points. It marked the first time this season that Dreamer did not reach double-figure scoring.
 
Sophomore Bennett Stirtz was held to nine points – nine points under his team-leading average of 18.7 points per game. Stirtz made only 2-of-8 field goals and could not connect on a triple on two attempts. Stirtz posted four steals and three assists.
 
Junior Isaiah Jackson grabbed a team-best seven rebounds to go along with nine points. Jackson also handed out three assists.
 
Northwest was locked in defensively in the opening 12-plus minutes of the contest by limiting the Tigers to only nine points. Northwest held a 12-9 advantage with eight minutes left in the first half. FHSU made only three made field goals in the first 14:30 of the game.
 
Spencer Schomers gave Northwest its largest lead of the first half at 17-11 on a three-pointer with 6:22 to play. It was Northwest's only made three-pointers in eight attempts in the first half. However, FHSU closed the half on a 9-2 run to take a 20-19 advantage into the break.
 
Northwest used an 8-0 run capped by a triple from Mitch Mascari with 15:17 left in the game to take a 28-22 lead. FHSU bounced back with an 11-0 spurt to take a 33-28 lead. FHSU's Kaleb Hammake buried a three-pointer to beat the shot clock to wrap up the 11-point run.
 
The Bearcats went eight and a half minutes without a made field before Abreu scored on a bucket in the lane with 6:49 to play. Abreu's basket cut the FHSU lead to 42-38. FHSU made 6-of-7 field goals to open up a 46-38 lead with 4:53 to play as the Northwest offense made 1-of-8 in that same span.
 
Northwest would close the gap to four points at 53-49 in the final minute but could climb no closer as FHSU took the eight-point victory.
 
Northwest will return to action Saturday at 4 p.m. against the Nebraska-Kearney Lopers in Kearney, Neb.