By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 10-ranked Washburn University men's basketball returns to the greater Kansas City, Mo. area for the third time this season when the Ichabods will have their first true road game of the season at Rockhurst on Friday night in Mason-Halpin Arena (7 p.m. tipoff).
Sophomore Brayden Shorter scored a game and career-high 26 points in Washburn's 97-57 win over Ottawa on Tuesday. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Ichabods are 3-0 this season after a 97-57 win over Ottawa on Tuesday in their home opener. The win gave the Ichabods their 500th all-time win in Lee Arena.
Sophomore Brayden Shorter finished with a career-high 26 points against the Braves, pacing four Ichabods in double figures on 10 of 19 shooting, including 4 of 9 from deep.
Senior Andrew Orr had 14 points on a perfect shooting night and added four steals while senior Jacob Hanna had 13 points followed by senior Michael Keegan's 12 points, game-high nine rebounds and five steals
Sophomore Jack Bachelor had a career-high 10 assists while adding nine points.
Even though Washburn has won its first three games by an average of 25 points, including a win over the defending national champions, Ichabod coach Brett Ballard said his team needs to be wary of the Hawks.
"They're dangerous,'' Ballard said. "We've struggled over there. We've taken some good teams over there and struggled. It's a small gym. They've got a new coach, they'll be well-coached and I know they've got guys that will play hard and have a chip on their shoulder, Kansas City kids that are playing other Kansas City kids, so it will be a battle.''
Rockhurst is 2-0 this season with wins over Davenport (64-54) and Purdue University Northwest (80-75) and Friday's game with the Ichabods will be the home-opener for the Hawks.
The Ichabods lead the all-time series 33-31 with Rockhurst but will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak to the Hawks in Kansas City. Washburn's last win against the Hawks on Rockhurst's home court came on Dec. 4, 2003 in a 69-54 win.
Washburn won the last meeting played in Topeka last season, 82-66, and is 21-9 in meetings in Topeka but has gone 10-21 in games played in Kansas City against the Hawks.
"We definitely want Friday,'' Keegan said. "As much as we want Tuesday (against Pittsburg State) we're not looking at Tuesday yet, we're talking about Friday because that's the next game on the schedule and they did get us two years ago so we're going to go out and compete and take it to them.''
Jaylen Wesley leads Rockhurst in scoring with a 14.5 scoring average while adding 8.0 rebounds per game.
Also averaging double figures for the Hawks are Nick Arensberg at 12.0 points per game, Jesse White at 11.5 and Brian Hawthorne at 11.0.
Washburn associate athletic director Matt Hutchinson served as the assistant to the athletic director/assistant men's basketball coach at Rockhurst prior to coming to Washburn. He played basketball for the Hawks from 2012-2015, earning both his undergraduate and MBA degrees from the university.
The Ichabods are back in action on Tuesday, hosting Pittsburg State in a non-conference game, beginning a three-game homestand that will continue with William Jewell on Nov .23 and Peru State on Nov. 30 before opening MIAA play at Nebraska-Kearney on Dec. 5 and at Fort Hays State on Dec. 7.
