By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 1-ranked Washburn University men's basketball team rallied from a 3-point halftime deficit, closing the game with an 8-0 run over the final 3:59 of the contest for an 80-69 win over Northwest Missouri on Wednesday in Bearcat Arena.
Sophomore Brayden Shorter recorded his first collegiate double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds in Wednesday's 80-69 MIAA road win at Northwest Missouri. [File photo/TSN]
Sophomore Jack Bachelor scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half as undefeated and top-ranked Washburn rallied for an 80-69 MIAA win at Northwest Missouri. [File photo/TSN]
Improving to 18-0 on the season and 9-0 in the MIAA, Washburn swept the regular-season series over the Bearcats for the first time since the 2010-11 season.
The Ichabods trailed at the half (40-37) for only the second time this season and not since a 36-32 deficit against Texas Permian Basin in San Antonio on Dec. 18 in a game they rallied to win by 14 after trailing by as many as nine in the game.
Washburn shot 43 percent in the opening frame, trailing until taking an 18-17 lead over the Bearcats. A 10-1 run by the Ichabods pushed Washburn's lead to 28-20, but the two teams traded leads seven times in the opening half and Northwest took a 40-37 lead into the break on a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Emorie Knox.
Starting the second half the Bearcats stretched their lead to seven at 44-37 with 18:51 to go before Washburn chipped away at the lead and pulled within one at 46-45 after a 3-pointer by Jack Bachelor with 16:04 left.
Washburn tied the score at 52 with 13:46 to go on a jumper by Dillon Claussen and would take a 54-52 lead on a Brayden Shorter dunk.
The lead was short-lived as the Bearcats came back with a 3-pointer of their own to take a 55-54 lead on their next possession, but Washburn came right back with a jumper by Bachelor as the Ichabods regained the lead at 56-55 with 11:58 to play.
After both teams struggled from the field for the next two minutes, Northwest tied the score with 9:56 to play with a free throw.
Northwest (4-14, 2-7) took its final lead of the game at 61-60 with 8:17 to play, but a 3-pointer by Shorter put the Ichabods back in front followed by two free throws by Bachelor which stretched the lead to four with 7:22 to go.
The Bearcats cut the lead back to two at 65-63 before Brady Christiansen hit a 3-pointer and Claussen scored his career-high-tying 14 and 15th points of the night as Washburn took a 70-63 lead with 5:47 remaining.
Luke Moustakas, who led the Bearcats with a game-high 21 points, hit his fifth 3-pointer of the night to pull the Bearcats back within three with 3:59 to play, but the Ichabods scored the final eight points of the game as the Washburn defense held Northwest to 0 of 4 from the field and forced two turnovers to earn the 11-point win.
Shorter recorded his first collegiate double double with 18 points with a career-high 10 rebounds while adding four assists and two steals.
Bachelor scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half and added six assists. Claussen finished with 15 points, five boards and two assists.
Jacob Hanna had 12 points and three assists and Andrew Orr had 10 points and two blocks.
In a game that had nine lead changes and eight ties, Washburn shot 48 percent from the field for the game, hitting 54 percent in the second half. Northwest cooled off from 46 percent in the first half to 35 in the second half to shoot 41 percent for the game.
Washburn also held a 40 to 30 advantage on the glass, turning 14 offensive rebounds into 12 second-chance points while outscoring the Bearcats 36-24 in the paint and 22-6 in bench points.
WU will be back in action on Saturday, facing Missouri Western in St. Joseph, Mo. (3:30 p.m. tipoff).
