HAYS, Kan. -- Andrew Orr hit the 1,000-point mark for his career as the No. 3-ranked Washburn Ichabods improved to 9-0 overall and 2-0 in MIAA play with a 71-57 win over Fort Hays State on Saturday afternoon. The Ichabods will take a short break from conference play with a trip to San Antonio, Texas, facing St. Edward's University in the River City Classic on Tuesday, Dec. 17. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Jack Bachelor scored four of the Ichabods' first five points with a pair of layups in the first few minutes of the contest. The teams traded baskets for the next several minutes, but Jacob Hanna's layup gave Washburn a 15-14 lead that it would not relinquish with just over 11 minutes to play in the first half.
Hanna's basket sparked an 11-0 run for the visitors, which included two 3-pointers by Brayden Shorter. After the Tigers (4-3, 1-1 MIAA) answered with a three-pointer of their own, Shorter knocked down his third triple of the half to put the Ichabods up 27-17 with seven and half minutes to play in the half. A minute later, Shorter took the ball away from Fort Hays State and found Michael Keegan pushing down the court, who finished with a dunk to give Washburn a 31-19 lead and forced a Tigers timeout.
Sitting at 999 points for his career, Orr stepped to the free throw line with five minutes to play in the half. Orr knocked down the first attempt to become the 28th Ichabod to join the 1,000-point club. The senior hit the second free throw to give the Ichabods a 15-point lead, its largest advantage of the evening. The Washburn offense cooled off at the end of the half, but the visitors still held a 37-29 lead entering the locker room. Shorter led all scorers with 16 points in the half.
The Tigers opened the second half of play with a three-pointer, cutting the Ichabod lead to five. Washburn did not let the hosts get any closer, with Orr and Shorter each finding the basket to put the Ichabods up 41-32 a minute and a half into the half. After the Tigers hit two free throws to cut the lead to seven, Washburn outscored Fort Hays State 13-5 over the next few minutes to extend the lead to 15.
Following a six-point swing in favor of the Tigers, Shorter cleaned up a missed shot with a rebound and put-back to give Washburn another double-digit lead. After giving up a three-pointer, the Ichabods responded with a six-point swing of their own, giving the visitors a 62-48 lead with just over six minutes to play. The Tigers were unable to cut the Ichabod lead below 10 points for the remainder of the contest, giving Washburn a 71-57 victory and the Ichabods' ninth-straight win to open the season.
Shorter led all scorers with 26 points to lead the Ichabods (9-0, 2-0 MIAA), while Orr added 10 points to conclude his milestone evening. Bachelor and Keegan each scored 11 points, while Bachelor chipped in six rebounds and six assists.
Kyle Grill led the host Tigers with 16 points.
Washburn shot 27 of 57 from the field for a 47 percent mark, while Fort Hays State ended the evening shooting 20 of 50 for a 40 percent clip. The Ichabods hit 6 of 23 shots from beyond the arc and 11 of 14 from the free throw line.
The Ichabods held a 34-29 advantage on the boards, while outscoring the Tigers 20-0 in fast break points.
