KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Washburn and Fort Hays State both advanced to the semifinals of the 2022 MIAA Basketball Championships presented by Citizens Bank & Trust.
Fourth-seed Washburn defeated No.5 seed Emporia State and the No.3 seed Fort Hays State knocked out No.6 seed Missouri Southern. Below are game recaps from Friday’s men’s session.
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No.4 Washburn 88, No.5 Emporia State 81 – Box Score
The No.4 seeded-Washburn Ichabods defeated the No.5 seeded-Emporia State in the quarterfinals of the 2022 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship presented by Citizens Bank & Trust.
In the highest scoring game of the tournament so far, the Ichabods shot a game-high 54.5 percent (30-55) against the Hornets hitting 52.9 percent (9-17) from the three and 73.1 percent (19-26) at the free-throw line. The Hornets hit 41.0 percent (25-61) from the field, 31.6 percent (12-38) from behind the arc and 76.0 percent (19-25) from the foul line.
Five Ichabods finished in double-figure scoring led by All-MIAA selections Tyler Geiman and Jalen Lewis with 20 points apiece. Geiman finished 7-of-14 from the field, 1-of-2 from the three and 5-of-7 at the line while also recording a game-high seven assists. Lewis led the Bods from the three hitting 3-of-4 from deep and 7-of-11 overall. Connor Deffebaugh finished with 14 points while the 2022 Freshman of the Year added 12 points and a team-high seven rebounds and two steals. Jonny Clausing finished with 11.
Four Hornets put up double-figures led by All-MIAA selections Jumah’Ri Turner and Tray Buchanan. Turner hit 7-of-20 from the field, 3-of-11 from the three and a perfect 6-of-6 at the foul line to lead ESU with 23 points. Buchanan led the Hornets from deep with a game-high five threes. He finished 6-of-16 from the floor, 5-of-14 from behind the arc and 5-of-7 at the line. Kaden Evans had 12 points and nine rebounds while All-MIAA honoree Brendan Van Dyke lead the ESU defense with 10 rebounds and added 10 points for a double-double.
Washburn is set to face top-seeded Central Oklahoma in the tournament semifinals on Saturday, March 5 at 6 p.m. in Municipal Auditorium.
No.3 Fort Hays State 71, No.6 Missouri Southern 55 – Box Score
The No.3 seeded-Fort Hays State Tigers defeated No.6-seeded Missouri Southern Lions in the quarterfinals of the 2022 MIAA Men's Basketball Championship presented by Citizens Bank & Trust.
The Tigers shot 45.5 percent (25-55) from the field, 37.0 percent (10-27) from the three-point range and 73.7 percent (11-15) from the free-throw line while the Lions finished with 36.5 percent (19-52) shooting overall, hitting 22.7 percent (5-22) from the three and 75.0 percent (12-16) from the foul line.
Fort Hays State was led by All-MIAA selection Jared Vitztum with a game-high 24 points and 16 rebounds. Vitztum hit 8-of-15 from the field, 3-of-6 from the behind the arc and 5-of-7 at the line while also tying the Tigers’ team-high four assists. All-MIAA honorees Kaleb Hammeke and Nyjee Wright both totaled 14 each, Wright tied with Hammeke for the team-high four assists and Bjarni Jonsson tailed a game-high four steals.
All-MIAA honoree Stan Scott led the Lions offense with 20 points, shooting 50.0 percent (7-14) from the field and 83.3 percent (5-6) at the foul line. Scott also led the Lions with four assists. JR Smith finished with a double-double posted 11 points and 10 boards while Avery Taggart added 10 points and Christian Bundy finished with nine.
Fort Hays State will take on No.2 seed Northwest Missouri in the tournament semifinals on Saturday, March 5 at 8:15 p.m. in Municipal Auditorium.