By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Saturday was the day Washburn University men's basketball coach Brett Ballard and his team have been waiting for.
In the midst of an up and down 2022-2023 season, things took a big upward turn on Saturday at Lee Arena, with the Ichabods rolling to a 75-55 MIAA win over No. 6-ranked Central Oklahoma.
Washburn sophomore Levi Braun scored a game-high 20 points in Saturday's 75-55 MIAA win over No. 6-ranked Central Oklahoma. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Levi Braun reacts to one of his six 3-pointers in Saturday's 75-55 MIAA win over Central Oklahoma. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
"That was probably our most complete game, especially because of the competition,'' Ballard said. "UCO's got a great team and that was a complete team effort for us. We were really good on both ends.
"All along I've really believed in this team and you see the potential there and we haven't always played to it, but we've had a lot of growth, especially this last month and have really been trending the right direction. It was nice to see it all come together against a good team.''
Hayden product Levi Braun had a big day for the Ichabods, scoring a game-high 20 points with six 3-pointers on just eight attempts in one of his best overall games as an Ichabod.
"I'm going to remember this one for awhile, this was a good one,'' Braun said. "UCO was tied for first in the conference, top 10 in the country, so we know what they're about.
"I'm just glad we could defend our home court. Everyone played to their strenghts, everyone played awesome, so I'm just really proud of the team.''
Washburn, which improved to 12-11 overall and 9-8 in the MIAA, held Central Oklahoma (21-3, 15-3) to 22 first half points and 36.7 percent shooting in the game to knock off the Bronchos.
Central Oklahoma jumped out to a 7-2 lead on two layups and a 3-pointer and did not trail in the game until the 7:22 mark of the first half.
WU freshman Jarmell Johnson scored five straight points off the bench, the last three coming on a corner 3-pointer, to give Washburn a 19-17 lead.
It was the first and only lead change of the day.
The Ichabods' first half lead grew to as high as eight points on the final possession of the half, with a layup from Andrew Orr making it a 30-22 game at the break.
At 17:46 in the second half Jaden Monday knocked down a jumper to push the lead to double digits and freshman Brady Christiansen continued Washburn's hot shooting day by knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers, giving the Ichabods a 13-point advantage.
The Bronchos made it a single-digit game with 13:40 to play but it was the last time the deficit was that close.
Washburn responded with a 9-0 run with eight of the points coming from Johnson and Christiansen.
Washburn's lead grew to a game-high 24 points at the 3:19 mark of the second half after Braun knocked down his final 3-pointer of the game.
In the final three minutes the Ichabods put the finishing touches on a 20-point win to move above .500 for the first time in 2022-23 and notch Washburn's second win of the season over a ranked team.
Braun's was seven of 10 shooting on the night, including a six of eight performance from 3-point range.
Christiansen added 16 points off the bench on five of seven shooting and pulled down six rebounds.
Orr scored 13 points and dished out a career-high six assists and Monday had 10 points, five assists and five rebounds.
Cam Givens led the Bronchos with 17 points on seven of 12 shooting, whille Jaden Wells added 12 points for UCO.
As a team Washburn shot 50.9 percent from the field and 40.9 percent from 3-point range while holding the Bronchos to a four of 21 effort from deep. Central Oklahoma was limited to just six assists in the game compared to 18 for the Ichabods.
Washburn will stay in Topeka to take on Northwest Missouri State on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m.
Bronchos pull away down stretch for 73-62 win over WU women
Washburn University's women outscored Central Oklahoma 22-14 in the third quarter, but it wasn't enough as the Ichabods dropped a 73-62 MIAA decision on Saturday afternoon.
Both teams shot well in the opening quarter as the Bronchos made eight of 13 attempts (61.5 percent) from the floor with three 3-pointers while the Ichabods were six of 12 from the field. The Bronchos made three free throws in the final seven seconds to lead, 23-16, at the end of one.
Central Oklahoma (8-14 overall, 5-13 MIAA) extended its lead in the second quarter to as many as 14 after shooting above 50 percent again while holding Washburn (9-14, 5-12) to just two of 15 shooting. The Ichabods did go eight of 10 on free throws in the period and a pair of made foul shots by Macy Doebele made it a 41-29 game in favor of the Bronchos at halftime.
The Ichabods came out firing in the second half and used an 18-8 tear over the first 5:25 of the third quarter to pull within two, 49-47. Central Oklahoma responded with a 4-0 mini-run before the Ichabods scored four points of their own to trim the deficit down to two again with 2:04 left in the quarter. The Bronchos scored one final basket and carried a 55-51 advantage into the final stanza.
Washburn would get no closer in the fourth quarter as the Ichabods were limited to just one of 12 shooting from the field while making nine of 12 from the free throw line and the Bronchos hit five of nine shots and seven of 10 attemptss at the charity stripe to close out the win.
The Bronchos finished the game with a 51.9 field goal percentage and held the Ichabods to shooting 30.9 percent. The Ichabods made 31 trips to the free throw line and made 24 foul shots and the Bronchos were 14 of 19. Washburn edged Central Oklahoma on the glass, 36-33.
Freshman Natalia Figueroa led Washburn with 13 points in Saturday's 73-62 loss to Central Oklahoma. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Three freshmen led Washburn in scoring, with Natalia Figueroa leading the Ichabods with 13 points and 3-pointers. Amaya Davison recorded her second straight game in double-digits as she tallied 12 points and was a perfect five of five at the free throw line. Yibari Nwidadah added 11 points and led the team with six rebounds.
Central Oklahoma's Brooke Rayner led all scorers with 32 points on 12 of 16 shooting from the field and six of six from the free throw line.
Aspen Williston recorded a triple-double as she finished with 14 points, 10 blocks, and 10 boards.
Washburn will play Northwest Missouri at home on Tuesday, Feb. 14.
