Tyler Geiman had another in a string of monster games for the Ichabods, scoring 21 of his game-high 29 points in the second half. (Photo by Rex Wolf TSN)
By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
When a team seemingly has as many players in street clothes as it does in unform, which was the case for the Washburn men's basketball team Thursday night, it's a necessity to get contributions from everybody that steps on the court.
Ichabod coach Brett Ballard got that against Rogers State as short-handed Washburn improved to 12-3 with an 88-77 MIAA win over the Hillcats at Lee Arena.
With juniors Jonny Clausing and Will McKee still sidelined with injuries and sophomore Connor Deffebaugh missing the game with illness, Ballard used just seven players against Rogers State, but five of the seven cracked double figures and another added 8 points as the Ichabods rallied from an 8-point deficit early in the second half to pull out the victory.
Ichabod senior point guard Tyler Geiman had another in a string of monster games for the Ichabods, scoring 21 of his game-high 29 points in the second half and also adding 8 assists, while redshirt freshman Levi Braun scored 18 points on 6 3-pointers.
Rathen Carter added 11 points while Jace Williams had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, Tyler Nelson had 10 points and Jalen Lewis 8.
"I'm really, really, really proud,'' Ballard said. "We're extremely beat up and have limited bodies, limited size and I think Rogers has a nice roster and is well-coached and we found a way to get it done. I thought it was a great win for us.''
Washbun trailed much of the first half before rallying for a 35-32 lead and trailed 44-36 at the 17:13 mark of the second half before Geiman took over the game, scoring 12 straight points to put the Ichabods in front 48-44 with 14:41 remaining.
"I think we have the best player in the league in my opinion in Tyler Geiman and when we needed to go, he turned it on,'' Ballard said.
"I think it's just staying in attack mode,'' Geiman said. "I think the key is to not settle and keep getting in the lane.''
Washburn went on to build an 11-point advantage on a Carter 3-pointer with 4:31 left, but Rogers State (6-9) answered with 7 straight point to cut its deficit to 4 (78-74) with 2:41 left.
Braun then delivered his biggest shot of the night, draining a long 3-pointer as the shotclock was about to expire, giving Washburn an insurmountable 81-74 edge with 2:06 left.
"I heard the bench right behind me yelling that the shot clock was at 2 or 3 or something like that,'' Braun said. "That's been kind of a go-to move of mine before, jab right, one dribble left just to get my feet right. I thought it might have a chance coming off my hand, but I didn't think it was going to go in. I was glad it did and that was a good win for us.''
Former Andover Central star Darraja Parnell led Rogers State with 15 points while Brewster Peacock added 14 and Dustin Eke 10.
Washburn was scheduled to return to action Saturday against Northeastern State, but that game has been postponed due to COVID-19 protocols at Northeastern. The Ichabods host Lincoln in a Tuesday night makeup contest at Lee Arena.
WASHBURN MEN 88, ROGERS STATE 77
Rogers State 32 45 -- 77
Washburn 35 53 -- 88
ROGERS STATE (6-9, 6-9)
Peacock 5-8 1-2 14, Eke 3-4 4-7 10, Parnell 5-11 5-5 15, Pullum 3-9 0-0 7, Sternberger 1-6 1-2 3, Kinnamon 2-6 2-2 7, Saracco 3-4 2-4 8, Harris 0-0 0-0 0, Lawrence 2-2 0-0 5, Lynch 2-6 4-4 8. Totals 26-56 19-26 77.
WASHBURN (12-3, 12-3)
Lewis 2-6 2-2 8, Geiman 12-21 1-1 29, Williams 5-9 0-0 10, Carter 4-10 2-2 11, Nelson 2-5 5-6 10, Braun 6-9 0-0 18, Cordes 0-1 2-3 2. Totals 31-61 12-14 88.
3-point goals -- Rogers State 6-26 (Peacock 3-6, Pullum 1-7, Kinnamon 1-4, Lawrence 1-1, Parnell 0-3, Sternberger 0-3, Lynch 0-2), Washburn 14-29 (Braun 6-9, Geiman 4-8, Lewis 2-4, Carter 1-4, Nelson 1-2, Cordes 0-1, Williams 0-1). Rebounds -- Rogers State 33 (Eke 8), Washburn 32 (Williams 10). Assists -- Rogers State 10 (Parnell 3), Washburn 16 (Geiman 9). Turnovers -- Rogers State 16, Washburn 13. Total fouls -- Rogers State 17, Washburn 20. Fouled out -- Williams, Harris.
