By The Hays Daily News

JOPLIN, Mo. -- The Fort Hays State University men's basketball team nearly defeated No. 16 Missouri Southern State University. However, the Tigers lost 80-73 in double overtime on Saturday afternoon.

Missouri Southern has won three straight overtime contests, while FHSU lost its first overtime game since an 86-84 loss to Colorado Christian in 2001-02. It marked FHSU's first multi-overtime contest since an 85-78 three-overtime win at home against Pittsburg State University in 2007-08. FHSU moved to 1-1 in overtime contests this season.

Fort Hays, ranked No. 10 in the first South Central Regional rankings, dropped to 16-8, 10-8 MIAA, and finished its road schedule at 6-5, 5-5 MIAA. Fort Hays lost its final four road games of the year.

Missouri Southern moved to 22-5, 14-5 MIAA. Southern senior forward Keane Thomann collected a game-high 28 points on 11-of-25 shooting, while senior Jason Adams had 22 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists and moved into second place all-time in Southern history with 1,919 points.

FHSU had four in double figures, including 19 points from junior Kendrick Morse and 17 points and 12 rebounds from senior Karron McKenzie. Senior forward Mat Simmons had 12 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in a game- and career-high 49 minutes.

Fort Hays led by 11 in the second half and had a 59-49 lead with 6:11 left in the game. However, Southern finished regulation on a 10-0 run that included a game-tying layup with 37 seconds left by Thomann. Morse missed a layup with four seconds left.

In the first overtime, junior Lance Russell hit a trey with 12 seconds left to tie the game at 64. In the second overtime, Fort Hays took a 68-67 lead with 3:14 left, but Missouri Southern went on an 11-2 run to earn the victory.