FHSU Athletics
Fort Hays State (4-2, 1-0 MIAA)
vs. #3/4 Washburn (8-0, 1-0 MIAA)
Saturday, December 7, 2024 • 4 p.m.
Hays, Kan. • Gross Memorial Coliseum
Radio: KJLS (103.3) CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Video: MIAA Network: CLICK HERE TO WATCH ($)
Game Sponsor: Vyve Broadband
National Anthem: O'Loughlin Elementary
Promotions: FHSU Faculty/Staff Appreciation
Vision Dance performances at both women's and men's halftime
Fort Hays State will put its four-game win streak to the test on Saturday when it hosts No. 3/4 ranked Washburn at Gross Memorial Coliseum in Hays. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. The Tigers enter at 4-2 overall and 1-0 in the MIAA, while the Ichabods are undefeated at 8-0 overall and 1-0 in the MIAA.
This will be the first of two meetings with Washburn this season. FHSU won the only meeting with Washburn last year by a score of 71-58 in Hays. This will be the fourth time in FHSU's NCAA Division II history it faces an NABC Top 25 ranked Washburn squad. FHSU has won one of the three previous meetings, which was when Washburn was ranked No. 3 and FHSU was ranked No. 1 back on November 17, 1996 at Gross Memorial Coliseum. FHSU won that contest 82-60. Washburn has won the last two meetings when it has been ranked in the NABC Top 25. The last time FHSU faced an NABC ranked Washburn team was in 2012-13 when the Ichabods squeaked out a 70-69 win in Hays as the No. 13 ranked team in the nation.
The Ichabods are ranked No. 4 in the latest D2CSC Media Poll. This will be the third time Washburn plays FHSU while holding a ranking in that poll. The teams have split the first two meetings.
Fort Hays State has won its last two meetings with NABC Top 25 ranked teams at Gross Memorial Coliseum. Both were last year in consecutive games when FHSU defeated No. 17 ranked Northwest Missouri State and No. 22 ranked Missouri Western. The Tigers have won 33 percent of their games against Top 5 NABC ranked teams with eight in 24 tries. The Tigers won their last game against a Top 5 team, a win at No. 5 ranked Central Oklahoma last season on New Year's Eve.
The Tigers are coming off a thrilling 70-67 double-overtime victory against Central Missouri on Thursday night. Kaleb Hammeke moved up to second on the all-time scoring list at FHSU, now with 1,649 in his career. He is just 117 shy of the record 1,766 held by Alonzo Goldston. Hammeke led the Tigers with 19 points, followed by Shaun Riley with 15, Dan Makuna with 12, and Kyle Grill with 11.
Washburn won its MIAA opener on Thursday night at Nebraska-Kearney by a score of 87-52. Jack Bachelor led four Ichabods in double figures with 19 points. Jacob Hanna and Brayden Shorter lead five Ichabods who average double figures in scoring this season, both at 15.5 points per game.
Hammeke leads the Tigers in scoring at 15 points per game and assists at 4.5 per game. Riley is the top Tiger rebounder at 7.2 per game. The Tigers are shooting 79.1 percent at the free-throw line as a team which leads the MIAA. The Tigers rank second nationally in turnovers, averaging just 8.5 per game behind national leader Missouri S&T at 8.2 per game.