Topeka Sun

Ichabods get defensive in win over Central Missouri

The Washburn Ichabod men's basketball team used a 16-5 run over the first 7:16 of the second half turning a four-point halftime deficit into a 55-47 come from behind win over Central Missouri in one of the lowest scoring games in the shot clock era in program history. The Ichabods will return to action hosting Lincoln at 3 p.m. in Lee Arena on Saturday.
 
Starting the game, the Ichabods (5-7, 2-4 MIAA) fell behind 6-0 before Levi Braun jump started the scoring with seven-straight points on a pair of three-pointers including a four-point play. After the Braun scoring spurt, the Mules (7-6, 3-5 MIAA) ripped off a 13-0 run to take a 19-7 lead with 12:11 to play in the first half. Washburn would get no closer than five the rest of the half as UCM took a 27-21 lead into the break.
 
Starting the second half, the Ichabods and Mules traded baskets and then a 14-3 run over a 6:00 period pushed Washburn's lead to 37-32 with 12:04 to go. Central evened the score at 43 with 6:01 to go in the game after a 3-point play by Jack Chapman.
 
After the media time out, Andrew Orr connected on a free throw and Brady Christiansen hit a layup pushing the lead back to three at 46-43. Two more Mule free throws trimmed the Washburn advantage back to one with 4:05 to go but the Ichabods outscored the Mules 9 to 2 the rest of the way going 7 of 8 from the free throw line securing the eight-point win.
 
Orr led the Ichabods with 20 points on 8 of 12 shooting adding seven rebounds. Braun finished with 10 points and Christiansen secured 15 rebounds with 12 on the defensive end adding six points. Michael Keegan had seven points with four assists.
 
Kobe Campbell led the Mules with 15 points.
 
Washburn held the Mules to 26 percent shooting in the second half as UCM was 6 of 23 and 1 of 9 from 3-point range en route to 15 of 51 shooting in the game for UCM for a 29 percent clip. The ichabods after going 8 of 25 in the opening half, finished the game going 10 of 22 for a 46 percent average finishing 18 of 47 overall for a 38 percent average. The Ichabods were also 15 of 19 from the free throw line in the game.
 
Washburn was outrebounded 34 to 33 in the game and forced 14 Mule turnovers. The Ichabods also had a 26 to 12 advantage in the paint.
 
The 102 combined points in the game ties the program record in the shot clock era for the fifth-fewest combined points match a 102 total ironically enough with Central Missouri in the same score on Dec. 31, 2010. The 55 points scored by the Ichabods is the second-lowest in program history in the shot clock era for points scored in a win and the 47 points scored by the Mules is the 10th-lowest points allowed in an Ichabod win.
 
The Ichabods have now won the last six in the series against the Mules and lead the overall series 57-52 improving to 35-19 against the Mules in Topeka all-time and have now lost the last five games played in Lee Arena. 

Original source can be found here.