Box Score Kearney, Neb. – The Fort Hays State Tigers shot 57 percent from the field and had a plus 12 rebounding margin to hold off Nebraska-Kearney, 84-75, Saturday evening in Kansas.
 
This was the 123^rd meeting between the two schools in men's basketball. The Tigers are now 7-2 (1-2) with UNK slipping to 4-5 (1-3).
 
Leading from start to finish, the Tigers got 28 points and eight defensive rebounds from Croatian senior post Dom Samac (6-9, 215 lbs.). Junior guard Rob Davis added 20 points and five more defensive caroms with this pair going a combined 18 of 25 (72%) from the field.
 
Inside, Hays tallied 42 points in the paint and out rebounded UNK 33-21.
 
The short-handed Lopers, using seven players with four logging over 30 minutes, sunk 11 triples and shot 49 percent to hang around.
 
For a second straight year in Gross Memorial Coliseum, Iowa sophomore forward Trey Lansman went off, finishing with 30 points, five boards, three blocks, two assists and a steal. Scoring 19 in the first half, Lansman went for a career-high 35 last season in a loss at Hays.
 
The Tigers got out to a 5-0 lead and eventually moved ahead 48-35 on a Samac layup late in the first half. UNK whittled the deficit down to four points twice in the second half, 55-51 and 57-53, but Hays responded with a run of its own.
 
Four straight points by Davis capped a 13-4 surge that made it 70-57 with 6:13 to play. The Lopers got a three from Ravenna senior Connor Beranek with 25 seconds left to make things interesting, 81-75, but then UNK missed a three after a Tiger turnover.
 
A free throw and Samac bucket completed the scoring.
 
"We came in here and battled for 40 minutes and that's what we've been preaching to our team. Hays has another good squad and their guards hit some tough shots in the second half," said UNK head coach Kevin Lofton. "In my mind, I can't go back and find one defensive possession where our guys didn't give everything they had."
 
Beranek tallied 11 of his 19 points in the second half as he was 7 of 16 (3 of 6 threes) from the field. In the backcourt, a gritty Ty Danielson (York) went 5 of 6 at the line to score 10 while also having three boards, three assists and two of UNK's four steals.
 
Finally, Omaha junior guard Kevin Dineen had five assists with Pierce sophomore Lane Rohrich scoring eight thanks to two made treys.
 
Besides Samac and Davis, Hays got 14 points and five rebounds from senior forward Jake Stoppel.
 
Kearney is at nationally-ranked Central Missouri next Saturday.