TOPEKA, Kan. – The No. 2-ranked Washburn Ichabods stayed perfect on the season with a 73–66 win over Fort Hays State inside Lee Arena on Saturday afternoon, improving to 10–0 overall and 2–0 in conference play thanks to a powerful second-half turnaround that flipped the momentum and the scoreboard.
The Ichabods trailed 34–33 at halftime after a slow offensive start, shooting just 37.1% from the floor and 2-of-12 from three while Fort Hays State knocked down 47.8% of its shots before the break. Washburn outscored the Tigers 40–32 in the final 20 minutes taking control by attacking the paint, dominating the glass and converting turnovers into points.
Bryson Smith finished with a Washburn-high 22 points while going 11-of-12 at the free-throw line. He added five rebounds, one assist and four steals scoring 15 of his 22 points in the second half, including a perfect 9-of-10 showing at the line in crunch time to secure the win. Dillon
Claussen scored 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting and knocking down 7-of-8 free throws while grabbing six rebounds and finishing with a team-best +10 plus/minus when he was on the floor. Claussen drew eight fouls and anchored the inside presence that turned the tide.
Brady Christiansen provided major rebounding help with eight boards, five points, two assists and two steals while going 3-of-4 at the stripe. Washburn collect 38 rebounds overall compared to Fort Hays State's 26, including a 16–3 advantage on the offensive glass that led to 16 second-chance points.
Washburn also forced 21 turnovers, turning them into 20 points, while giving up only 13 points off its own miscues. The scoring edge inside was equally important, outscoring the Tigers 34–24 in the paint and grabbing an eight-point edge in fast-break scoring.
Fort Hays State led for more than 16 minutes, including a 34–33 edge at halftime, and used a 10-point burst in the second half to pull within striking distance late. Lucas Hammeke carried the offense with a game-high 24 points on 7-of-11 shooting and 8-of-10 at the line, and Kyle Grill added nine points and four steals. But Washburn's defense limited the Tigers to 39.1% shooting after the break, and their three-point shooting cooled to just 3-of-19 overall.
The decisive stretch came early in the second half when Washburn ripped off a 9–0 run to take its biggest lead of the game at 52–41 with 12:00 to play. Claussen, Smith and Christiansen all scored during that push as the Ichabods took control on both ends — at one point forcing six turnovers in a span of five minutes. The Tigers never fully recovered, getting no closer than four the rest of the way as Washburn converted free throws down the stretch to close out its 10th straight victory to open the season.
Washburn's bench added 16 points with key early contributions from Marcus Glock and Sam Ungashick, and the team finished with six steals in each half along with six total blocked shots. Every Ichabod who played collected at least one rebound, and all but one recorded a point or assist, reflecting the balanced response needed to shake off the early shooting struggles.
The Ichabods will return to action a week from today on Dec. 13 hosting Central Missouri at 3 p.m. in Lee Arena.
