TOPEKA, Kansas — Minnesota State Moorhead forward Jacob Jennissen doubled up on his double-double Saturday afternoon at Lee Arena.

Jennissen scored 22 points and grabbed 21 rebounds to help the Dragons rally past Fort Hays State in the NCAA Division II Central Region men's basketball quarterfinals before 1,576 fans.

“He’s an absolute animal down there," said Dragons head coach Tim Bergstraser.

The 7-foot-1 Jennissen said that was the first 20-point, 20-rebound game of his career.

When a player hits double-digits in two main statistical categories like points, rebounds or assists it is considered a double-double. Hitting 20 in two categories in the same game is rare.

“These are the kinds of games that you always dream of playing in, late in season , postseason," Jennissen said. "That was my attempt of playing as physical and as hard as I could. I think it worked out for me.”

The No. 2-seeded Dragons trailed by as many as eight points in the second half before rallying past the No. 7-seeded Tigers. MSUM finished with 40 rebounds, including 16 off the offensive glass. Jennissen had six offensive boards.

“We just didn’t have an answer for the big fella," said Fort Hays State head coach Mark Johnson. "He was a handful. ... I don’t feel like we’re a small team, but compared to them we were small today. The key to the game was offensive rebounds.”

MSUM (24-8) has won 12 consecutive games and plays familiar foe Winona State (22-10) at 5 p.m. Sunday in the region semifinals at Lee Arena.

MSUM has played Winona State three times this season, winning all three matchups. That included a 63-47 victory against the Warriors nearly two weeks ago in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference semifinals in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

“When it comes tournament time, everything is up in the air," Bergstraser said. "We just have to be ready to compete.”

Fort Hays took a 50-44 lead after senior guard Kaleb Hammeke sank two free throws with 9 minutes, 50 seconds to play in the second half.

“We were sitting there searching and just trying to get creative on what we could do offensively," Bergstraser said. “Fort Hays, they guard (so well) and they are so long and physical.”

The Dragons, however, countered with a 13-1 lead to surge into the lead for good. Sophomore guard Will Kinsey scored five points during that momentum-changing stretch, which included a Jennissen dunk.

“We just kept with it," Jennissen said.

Junior forward Logan Kinsey capped the rally with a drive and a layup to give the Dragons a 57-51 lead with 3:27 remaining. Logan Kinsey finished with 16 points, while his twin brother Will Kinsey scored nine points in 11 minutes off the bench.

“Multiple efforts by multiple guys on our team," Bergstraser said. “We just kept telling guys you can’t be afraid to step up and make a winning play. We’ve just got guys who aren’t afraid to do that.”

True freshman guard Carson Johnson finished with 11 points, but struggled from the field for most of the game. The 6-foot Johnson, however, scored six points in the final 2-1/2 minutes to help protect the lead late. Johnson, who usually averages 20 points per game, sank an 8-foot runner for a 63-57 lead with 53 seconds to play. Johnson finished 3-for-12 from the floor.

“That’s just how he’s wired," Bergstraser said. "He just has that trust and freedom in our program and the guys around him with that.”

Fort Hayes State shot 52% (13 of 25) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes to build a 34-31 halftime lead. Sophomore guard Kyle Grill led the way with 10 points on 3-for-3 shooting from the floor, including two 3-pointers in the first half.

Grill finished with 12 points.

Will Kinsey had a putback as the first half expired to cut the FHSU lead to 34-31 to help keep the Dragons close. Jennissen had 10 points and 11 rebounds by halftime.

“He does so much for our team," Bergstraser said.

Jennissen added 12 points and 10 rebounds over the final 20 minutes.

“We just had to find a different way to win," Bergstraser said. "It was a little different than we’re used to and it wasn’t the way we usually play, but it shows the type of team we have.”

FHSU (22-10): Grill 4-6 2-2 12, Crawford 3-6 2-2 10, Davis 3-6 1-1 7, Riley 3-4 0-0 6, K. Hammeke 5-20 4-4 16, Mukuna 1-2 2-2 4, McDowell 0-2 0-0 0, L. Hammeke 3-4 1-2 7, Lawson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-51 12-13 62.

MSUM (24-8): Hastreiter 0-4 1-2 1, Wysocki 0-2 0-0 0, Johnson 3-12 4-5 11, Jennissen 7-13 8-10 22, L. Kinsey 6-9 3-4 16, E. Beeninga 0-0 0-0 0, W. Kinsey 3-3 3-4 9, Price 2-4 0-0 4, J. Beeninga 1-8 4-6 6. Totals 22-55 23-31 69.

Half: FHSU 34, MSUM 31. 3-point goals: FHSU 6-15 (Grill 2-2, Crawford 2-5, Davis 0-3, K. Hammeke 2-4, McDowell 0-1), MSUM 2-12 (Hastreiter 0-2, Johnson 1-5, Jennissen 0-1, L. Kinsey 1-2, J. Beeninga 0-2). Total fouls: FHSU 22, MSUM 11. Fouled out: Grill. Rebounds: FHSU 25 (K. Hammeke 7), MSUM 40 (Jennissen 21). Assists: FHSU 7 (K. Hammeke 5), MSUM 4 (Price 3). Turnovers: FHSU 10, MSUM 12.