KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- Deshaun English II and Jeramy Shaw scored 17 points apiece to propel the Pittsburg State University men's basketball team to a 69-51 victory over Fort Hays State University in the semifinals of the 2024 MIAA Basketball Championships presented by Southern Bank Saturday (Mar. 9).

The No. 3 seed Gorillas advance to the tournament finals for the first time since 2015. Pitt State will face top-seeded and No. 4 ranked Northwest Missouri State University for the tournament crown at 3:30 p.m. (CST) at venerable Municipal Auditorium.

The Gorillas (21-9) shot 53.5 percent from the field in the game, making 23 of 43 shots. Pitt State set a program postseason record by hitting 14 3-point field goals in the contest, shooting a blistering 14 of 20 (.700) from long range.

Shaw added a game-high nine rebounds to go along with his scoring total, while English finished with seven rebounds and two blocked shots. R.J. Forney Jr. and Tanner Mans also scored in double figures with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Jordan Frison finished with six points and a game-high nine assists.

No. 16 ranked Fort Hays State (23-7) dropped its third straight game to Pitt State this season after the Gorillas swept the regular season home-and-away series. The Tigers got a team-leading 10 points from Kaleb Hammeke in the contest.