Box Score

Fort Hays State trailed Washburn by just two at halftime, but Washburn seized control with a 17-4 run to open the second half and never looked back. The Ichabods won the MIAA Tournament Semifinal game by a score of 67-54.

FHSU enjoyed its largest lead of five points at the 7:02 mark of the first half after a Moses Dayee 3-point field goal that capped a 9-0 run. But the Ichabods squelched the run with Martin Mitchell answering on the other end with a 3-pointer to cut the lead back to two. Washburn went on a quick burst near the end of the first half to take a five-point lead, but Karron McKenzie knocked in a 3-pointer just before time expired to cut the Washburn lead to 31-29 at the break.

Fort Hays State struggled shooting the ball out of halftime, hitting just two of its first nine shots from the field. The Tigers also turned the ball over four times within the 17-4 run by Washburn to open the half. The Tigers scored only four points in nearly 10 minutes of action, before a pair of free-throws at the 10:28 mark trimmed the Washburn lead back to 13. Washburn led in double digits the rest of the way in the slower pace, possession style game.

Kendrick Morse led the Tigers with 13 points on 5-of-11 shooting from the field. Markus Yarbrough came off the bench to score 10 points. After combining for 87 points on Friday in the win over Missouri Southern, Fort Hays State's starters scored just 35 points against Washburn. Washburn dominated the game on the glass, outrebounding the Tigers 36-23.

Will McNeill scored at least 20 points for the third consecutive game against FHSU, pouring in 23 for the Ichabods. Zack Riggins was the only other Washburn player in double figures with 10 points.

This loss likely ends Fort Hays State's season at 19-9, after the Tigers were not part of the South Central Region rankings entering the conference tournament. The win over Missouri Southern in the opening round may not be enough. The selection show for the NCAA Tournament is on www.ncaa.com at 9:30 pm Sunday (Mar. 4) night.