Ichabods drop overtime game to Fort Hays State, will face host Eastern New Mexico Saturday

Box Score | Season Stats
PORTALES, N.M. - Fort Hays State hit a field goal with four seconds left in overtime to send the Ichabods to a 70-69 loss in the first game of the Eastern New Mexico Shootout. Washburn, playing its second straight overtime game, fell to 1-1 on the season and will play Eastern New Mexico Saturday at 9 p.m. Central/8 p.m. Mountain. ENMU (0-2) fell 66-64 to Western State in the second game Friday.

Junior guard Andrew Meile led Washburn with 18 points, senior forward Frank Phifer made 17 and sophomore forward Paul Byers had 16. Junior forward Kyle Snyder had nine rebounds to lead the Ichabods. Senior guard Michael Williams led Washburn with five assists and Phifer led with three blocks.

Up 61-60 with 40 seconds left in regulation, Williams was fouled. He made both his free throws to give the Ichabods a three-point lead. FHSU's Loranja Owens then hit a free throw to cut it to two with 13 seconds left. Byers was fouled on the inbounds pass and he made one of two free throws with 11 second left to make it a 3-point game. The Tigers got the rebound and pushed the ball up the court. Pruitt, who made 7-of-11 shots from inside and finished the night with 21 points, took his only 3 of the night and drained it with 3 seconds remaining to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Playing in their second straight overtime game of the young season, the Ichabods failed to make a field goal. They shot 0-for-5 and their only points came off 5-for-7 shooting from the free throw line. FHSU, which didn't fair much better, hit a pair of field goals and a pair of free throws. Matt Stramel's layup with four seconds left proved to be the difference as junior guard Sergio Negrin's shot at the buzzer missed.

Washburn, which was shooting 53 percent from the field late in the second half, finished the game shooting 44 percent. The Tigers shot just 39 percent. They out-rebouned the Ichabods 42-40 and had a 9-4 advantage on second chance points.

FHSU led early in the game until a jumper by junior forward Brady Sisk at 11:40 of the first half gave the Ichabods their first lead of the game. The Tigers regained the lead until a 3-pointer by Williams with 7:58 remaining in the half. FHSU got the lead back again and held it until Meile hit a pair of free throws to tie it at 4:19. Washburn built the lead after that up to a six-point deficit at 33-27 with 1:39 left and went into the half at 35-31.

Washburn shot 52 percent in the half and kept the Tigers to 35 percent shooting. Phifer led WU with 13 points with 5-of-7 shooting while Meile had nine points off three 3s.

Washburn led by four at halftime and then Meile hit a 3-pointer to open scoring in the second half and Byers hit a pair of 3s early in the half as the Ichabods built a 10-point lead, 48-38 at 15:41. That lead slowly diminished as the Tigers went on a 9-0 run that ended at 7:46. FHSU trailed by just one then until Meile hit another 3-pointer. Tigers Jeff Pruitt and Kevin Wagstaff then hit consecutive layups to tie the game at 55-55 with 5:35 left. Pruitt then made a pair of free throws with less than two minutes remaining and the Tigers took their first lead of the half at 60-58.

NOTES: FHSU handed Washburn its first loss of the season for the second straight year. The Tigers beat Washburn 84-74 last year to make Washburn 1-1...Washburn played in consecutive overtime games for the first time since the 1994-95 season...Byers, Snyder and Williams all fouled out for their first time as Ichabods...The non-conference matchup against FHSU is the first of three the two teams will play this year. The next two will be MIAA games.