LAKELAND, Fla. -- No. 2-ranked Washburn nearly erased a 26-point first-half deficit, rallying within three points in the closing minute before ultimately falling 91-85 to No. 4 West Liberty in the final game of the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame Classic on Sunday night at Jenkins Field House.
The Ichabods (1-1) struggled with turnovers and West Liberty's perimeter shooting in the opening 20 minutes as the Hilltoppers (1-1) built a 50-26 halftime advantage, but Washburn battled back with a dominant second-half performance, outscoring West Liberty 59-41 and cutting the deficit to as few as three with 18 seconds remaining.
Tyson Ruud turned in the second double-double of his career, recording a career-high 25 points while pulling down 13 rebounds. Ruud finished 10 of 12 from the field and added three steals and a block in a standout all-around effort.
West Liberty came out firing to start the game, forcing Washburn into 12 first-half turnovers that led to 21 Hilltopper points while shooting 52.6 percent from behind the 3-point line in the opening frame. The Hilltoppers used a 9-0 run in the first three minutes to take control, stretching a 4-0 lead into a 9-0 advantage with 16:57 remaining in the half.
After Ruud scored Washburn's first basket with 16:34 to play, West Liberty continued to capitalize on Ichabod miscues. A 3-pointer by Aiden Davis pushed the margin to 12-2 and later triples by Myles Montgomery, Cody Schmitz and Judson Coan helped the Hilltoppers build a 22-4 lead with 11:25 left in the half.
Washburn trailed 32-11 after another Davis 3-pointer with 8:06 remaining before Ruud helped stabilize the offense. The junior scored seven points over the final eight minutes of the half, but West Liberty answered repeatedly from long range and closed the half on a 10-4 run to carry a 50-26 lead into the locker room.
The contrast between halves could not have been greater. After committing 12 turnovers in the first half, Washburn turned the ball over only three times after halftime while forcing 11 West Liberty miscues in the second period. The Hilltoppers scored 21 points off turnovers in the opening half and none in the second, while Washburn turned second-half turnovers into 15 points.
Brody Owen also found another gear after halftime. Held to just three points in the first half, Owen scored 11 of his 14 points in the final 20 minutes while adding five assists and three steals for the game.
The Ichabods immediately showed signs of life after intermission. Ruud scored four early points and Owen converted a steal into a layup as Washburn opened the half with a 14-9 surge to trim the deficit to 59-43 on
Jack Bachelor's 3-pointer with 15:57 left.
West Liberty answered several times to keep the margin in double figures, but Washburn continued chipping away behind its inside game. Consecutive baskets by
Kade Cook cut the deficit to 66-52, and later Ruud's alley-oop finish from Owen brought the Ichabods within 15 at 60-75 with 9:08 remaining.
The comeback intensified over the final eight minutes.
Tyler Salmon knocked down a second-chance 3-pointer to make it 77-63 before Owen and
Carson Yale combined on a transition dunk that reduced the margin to 79-67. Owen then hit two free throws, and Ruud followed with a pair of foul shots and a steal-and-dunk sequence during a 10-0 Washburn run that pulled the Ichabods within 79-73 with 4:42 remaining.
After West Liberty briefly pushed the lead back to 11, Owen buried a 3-pointer and
Jack Bachelor drilled a transition triple off an Owen assist to make it 84-79 with 1:37 to play. Salmon added a free throw to trim the deficit to four before Ruud scored inside with 43 seconds left to cut the margin to 86-82.
Bachelor knocked down a free throw with 33 seconds remaining and Owen sank two free throws with 18 seconds left to bring Washburn within three at 88-85. West Liberty, however, converted three of its final four free throws in the closing seconds to secure the 91-85 victory.
Along with Ruud's 25-point, 13-rebound performance, Bachelor finished with 15 points, Owen scored 14 and Salmon added 13. Cook chipped in seven points and five rebounds while Yale contributed five points and three rebounds off the bench.
West Liberty placed six players in double figures, led by Montgomery's 20 points. Cameron Williams added 13 points. The Hilltoppers, who shot 50.8 percent overall and connected on 13 of 30 attempts from 3-point range.
For the game, Washburn shot 49.1 percent (28 of 57) from the field and outrebounded West Liberty 36-31, including a 24-8 advantage in second-chance points. The Ichabods scored 36 points in the paint and committed 15 turnovers, but 12 of those came during the decisive first half when West Liberty built its commanding lead.
Ruud was named to the All-Classic Team.
Washburn returns to action next Friday and Saturday facing a pair of familiar foes with MSU Moorhead and No. 9-ranked Minnesota State respectively at the Central Regional Challenge in Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium.
