FHSU Sports Information Department
HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State suffered its first setback of the 2015-16 season on Wednesday night (Dec. 2) in the MIAA opener against Washburn. FHSU led by seven at halftime, but Washburn shot 63.6 percent from the field in the second half to edge FHSU 86-82. The Tigers go to 5-1 overall, 0-1 in the MIAA, while the Ichabods move to 5-1 overall, 1-0 in the MIAA.
The Tigers held on to their lead in the second half all the way to the 6:31 mark when Washburn finally tied the game. A couple more buckets by the Ichabods put the game into a back-and-forth battle late. Tied at 82-82, Randall Smith hit an off-balance 3-point field goal for the Ichabods with 14 seconds to go and Kyler Kinnamon’s tying attempt was off the mark. Smith then sealed the game with a free-throw. It was a tough pill to swallow considering the Tigers had control for nearly three-quarters of the game.
A massive amount of fouls called slowed the pace of the game to a crawl, and Washburn took advantage of a semi-dead atmosphere with all clock stoppages and free-throws shot. FHSU was called for 24 fouls and Washburn for 23 to make a total of 47 for the game. With no flow to the game, the Tigers could not hold off the slow comeback of the Ichabods in the second half.
FHSU still shot the ball well overall despite the loss. The Tigers hit 49 percent of their shots from the field, including 52.4 percent beyond the 3-point line (11-of-21). FHSU went 23-of-30 at the charity stripe. It was not enough to overcome Washburn’s 57.4 percent shooting effort.
Rob Davis finished with a game-high 24 points for the Tigers. He hit six field goals, including three 3-point field goals, and nine free-throws. Kyler Kinnamon finished with 18 points, while Dom Samac and Craig Nicholson each had 12.
Cameron Wiggins had a team-high 21 points for Washburn, thanks to a red-hot 3-point shooting effort. He went 5-of-7 beyond the 3-point line and 8-of-11 overall from the field. Smith finished with 16 points, David Salach had 15, and Javion Blake added 12.
The Tigers look to even their conference mark on Saturday (Dec. 5) when they host Emporia State at 4 pm.