LIBERTY, Mo. - The William Jewell men's basketball team got off to a strong start but could not sustain in the second half as Fort Hays State University rallied to win 63-59 on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals drop to 4-6 overall with the loss. 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After exchanging early points, Jewell went on a 13-2 run capped by a layup from Bryce Mitchell to open up a 25-14 advantage midway through the first half. Jordan Jermain scored 10 of the Cardinals final 14 points of the half as Jewell led by a dozen at the break, 41-29. 
• The Tigers came out of the locker room and hit back-to-back three pointers to quickly cut the lead down to four. Luke Jordan hit a triple for Jewell in response, but Fort Hays followed with a 22-9 run retake the lead, 61-55, with under eight minutes to play. Despite holding the Tigers scoreless for nearly seven minutes, the Cardinals managed just two buckets of their own during the same stretch as Fort Hays held on to win. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Jermain finished with a game high 25 points, including 20 in the first half, going 4-of-6 from long range. 
• Jordan added 11 points and three assists while Mitchell had a career high 10 points. 
• Jewell shot better than 62% in the first half but that number dipped to 35% in the second half. 

UP NEXT
Jewell will close out the non-conference portion of the schedule on Tuesday as they travel to Newman University.