By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Fort Hays State put the defensive clamps on Washburn in the second half and used a big run to produce a 71-58 win at Gross Memorial Coliseum on Thursday night (Jan. 25). The Tigers improved to 14-4 overall and 9-3 in the MIAA with the win, while the Ichabods moved to 12-6 overall and 8-4 in the MIAA. FHSU moved into sole possession of second place in the conference with the win.
Washburn put together a strong first half and led the Tigers all the way from the 12:02 until halftime. FHSU led by eight right out of the gate 10-2 before seeing Washburn rally back to tie the game with an 8-0 run out of a timeout. The teams played to a 17-17 tie before Washburn used another 8-0 burst to take a 25-17 lead. They held on to the lead, though the Tigers closed the half on a 7-0 run to get back within one at 35-34. The Ichabods shot 51.9 percent from the field in the opening frame, while the Tigers were 42.9 percent from the field.
The teams traded baskets early in the second half until a Kaleb Hammeke 3-pointer knotted the score at 41-41. A three-point play gave Washburn the lead back momentarily, but then Elijah Nnanabu canned a 3-pointer to tie the game again. That would be the start of a 20-0 run by the Tigers to go from three points down to 17 points up (61-44) in a matter of 5:20 on the clock. Nnanabu had 10 of the 20 points in the run, part of 16 second-half points to give him 20 for the game (his most in a game inside Gross Memorial Coliseum). Hammeke had eight points in the run and went on to finish with a team-high 22 in the game, giving FHSU a pair of 20-point scorers.
The Ichabods turned the ball over six times during the 20-0 run by the Tigers and went on to finish with 21 in the game, which matched their season high which they had against MSU Moorhead (currently a top-five ranked team in the nation) early this season. They had 13 of their 21 turnovers in the second half. A 12-point margin was the closest Washburn got the rest of the game, reached twice before the final margin of 13.
The Tigers held an opponent under 60 points for the 10th time this season, right on their average of 58.2 points per game entering the game. That NCAA Division II-leading average remained the same with the result. The Tigers have now won two of the last three meetings with the Ichabods, holding them to 58 points in both wins. The result also snapped a three-game losing streak to the Ichabods inside of Gross Memorial Coliseum.
Nnanabu led the Tigers in rebounds with seven to go with his 20 points, while Hammeke led in assists with seven to go with his 22 points. Hammeke and Bjarni Jonsson each had three steals in the game. Shaun Rileywas close to double figures with eight points and a team-high three blocked shots.
The Tigers finished with a season-high 10 3-point field goals made, led by Hammeke with six. All six of his field goals in the game were 3-pointers, while he went 4-of-4 at the free-throw line. Nnanabu was a perfect 2-of-2 beyond the arc. FHSU as a team finished 9-of-10 at the free-throw line and shot 44.1 percent overall. The Tigers produced their first pair of 20-point scorers in a home game since January 20, 2022 when Kaleb Hammekeand Jared Vitztum each had 22. Nnanabu (31) and Hammeke (22) each scored at least 20 in a game together earlier this season at Missouri Southern (1/11/24).
Andrew Orr led the Washburn effort with 13 points, while Jack Bachelor had 11. Brady Christiansen had nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.
Fort Hays State preps for another solid test on Saturday (Jan. 27) when Emporia State comes to Hays. The Hornets enter at 13-7 overall and 6-6 in the MIAA. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. at Gross Memorial Coliseum, following the women’s contest.