By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn men's basketball team will face its second top-10 team in three days as the Ichabods host No. 4-ranked Northwest Missouri at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday night in Lee Arena.
Hayden product Levi Braun is coming off a 20-point, six 3-pointer game on Saturday in Washburn's 75-55 win over Central Oklahoma. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Ichabods are 12-11 overall and 9-8 in the MIAA after a 75-55 win over No. 6 Central Oklahoma on Saturday.
The Bearcats are 23-2 and 16-2 in the MIAA and have won their last nine games, including a 79-53 win over the Ichabods on Feb. 4 in Maryville, Mo.
Northwest topped Northeastern State on Feb. 11 in a 79-43 win.
Sophomore Andrew Orr averages a team-high 13.8 points for Washburn while averaging 14.5 points in MIAA contests. He is third on the team in rebounds at 5.7 per game.
Tyler Nelson is averaging 11.8 points and has reached double-digits in nine of his last 10 games, averaging 15.5 points.
Hayden product is scoring 10.2 points a game and has hit 58 of 127 3-pointers (46 percent). Of his 77 field goals this season, 58 have been from 3-point range.
Michael Keegan is averaging 8.3 points with 5.9 rebounds, 20 steals and 18 blocks.
Freshman Brady Christiansen is scoring 5.7 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds and scored a career-high 16 points against Central Oklahoma last time out.
Northwest, the two-time defending national champion, is in the midst of a nine-game win streak.
Diego Bernard leads the Bearcats with a 16.9 scoring average and 5.1 rebounds per game while recently going over the 2,000-point mark in scoring.
Bennett Stirtz averages 12.6 points, while Wes Dreamer averages 11.2 points.
Washburn will go on the road to face Lincoln on Thursday and will play at Central Missouri at Saturday.
WU women to host Pink Out game
Washburn is set to host Northwest Missouri at 5:30 p.m.Tuesday for the annual Pink Out Game.
The Ichabods, 9-14 overall, 5-12 MIAA, have lost four in a row and are looking to get back in the win column after dropping a 73-62 decision to Central Oklahoma on Saturday.
Freshman Natalia Figueroa led Washburn with 13 points in Saturday's 73-62 loss to Central Oklahoma. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Bearcats (7-14, 4-13) and are on a three-game winning streak.
Northwest defeated Washburn on Feb. 4 in overtime, 76-75. The earlier meeting between the Ichabods and Bearcats was a back-and-forth battle that saw 13 lead changes, 15 tie scores, and nine points scored in the final five seconds of regulation to send the game to extra time.
The Ichabods are ninth in the MIAA standings and the Bearcats are in a tie for seventh.
Washburn is raising breast cancer awareness in the Pink Out game and has teamed up with the Topeka chapter of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer. The Ichabods will be wearing special Washburn Pink Out warm up shirts before the game.
The Ichabods are fourth in the league in fewest points allowed per game as they have held opponents to 59.0 points a game.
Junior Aubree Dewey continues to lead the Ichabods with a 10.5 scoring average, 3.8 assists, 1.4 steals and 33.6 minutes per game.
Freshman Natalia Figueroa averages 8.5 points and has made a team-high 39 3-pointers. She drained three triples against Central Oklahoma and now has seven games with three or more 3-pointers.
Macy Doebele averages 7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds and is the team leader in free throws, making 66 of 86 for a 76.7 free throw percentage.
Emma Chapman adds 7.3 points to go with 4.5 rebounds per game while Yibari Nwidadah leads the squad with 5.7 rebounds per game while shooting 51.5 percent from the floor and contributing 7.0 points per game.
Northwest's Molly Hartnett averages 13.9 points and is first in the MIAA and 10th in Division II with a 90.8 free throw percentage (79-of-87). Kelsey Fields leads the MIAA with a 9.5 rebounding average.
Washburn will close out its three-game week with a pair of road games, first at Lincoln on Thursday before heading to Central Missouri on Saturday.
