HAYS, Kan. – Fort Hays State battled hard late, but Washburn held on to escape Gross Memorial Coliseum with a win by the score of 75-72. The loss pushed the Tigers to 7-9 overall, 1-7 in the MIAA, while the Ichabods moved to 9-7 overall, 4-3 in the MIAA.
 
Aside from a pair of two-point leads early by the Tigers, the Ichabods controlled the majority of the game leading for just over 35-and-a-half minutes of the game. An early 12-0 run gave Washburn control early in the first half before FHSU inched its way back into ties at 21-21 and 24-24. However, Washburn closed the half on a 10-2 run, fueled by three 3-point field goals from Tyler Geiman. The Ichabods led 34-26 at the break.
 
Jared Vitztum accounted for half of Fort Hays State's first-half points and nearly had a double-double by halftime with 13 points and nine rebounds. He went on to produce his second double-double of the season with a game-high 21 points and 10 rebounds. The 21 points is a new career high for Vitztum.
 
Washburn led by at least seven and as large as 14 points over the first 10-and-a-half minutes of the second half. But the Tigers started to apply pressure when Alvin Thompson buried a 3-point field goal with 9:16 to play, cutting the lead to five. FHSU cut the lead to five one more time before trimming it down to three, 65-62, with 5:39 to play on an Aaron Nicholson 3-pointer.
 
Washburn kept holding on, pushing its lead back to seven with 2:14 remaining on a Jalen Lewis 3-point field goal. But, the Tigers went on an 8-2 run up until 16 seconds remaining in the game. A floating jumper in the lane by Nicholson brought the lead down to just one. Drew Maschoff then hit a pair of free throws for the Ichabods to get the lead back to three. Nicholson and Jake Hutchings each missed 3-point field goal attempts in the waning seconds as Washburn held on for its fifth-straight win in the series with the Tigers.
 
Nicholson finished with 17 points, while Thompson added 10 alongside Vitztum's 21. Nicholson also dished out a team-high five assists.
 
Geiman led the Ichabods with 15 points and eight assists. Jace Williams added 14 points, while Maschoff had 12.
 
The Tigers head on the road to Missouri next week where they will face Missouri Western (Thursday) and the defending national champion Northwest Missouri State (Saturday).