By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn men's basketball team will open the 2023 calendar year with a 7:30 p.m. home MIAA game against Central Missouri Thursday night at Lee Arena.
The Ichabods, 4-7 overall and 1-4 in the MIAA, will be looking to bounce back from a 72-57 loss at No. 9-ranked Central Oklahoma 72-57 last Saturday.
Former Hayden standout Levi Braun led Washburn with 17 points in last Saturday's 72-57 MIAA loss at Central Oklahoma, hitting five 3-pointers. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Mules are 7-6 overall and 3-4 in the MIAA after taking a 62-48 home win over Nebraska-Kearney Monday night.
Washburn has won the last five games in the series against the Mules and lead the overall series, 56-52.
Sophomore Andrew Orr leads the Ichabods with a 14.5 scoring average while averaging 17.6 ppg in five MIAA contests. Orr, who has reached double figures in nine of 11 games this season, is second on the team in rebounds at 6.0 per game.
Junior Connor Deffebaugh is scoring 10.2 points a game while adding 3.4 assists per game.
Former Hayden standout Levi Braun, a sophomore, is scoring 9.3 points per game and has hit 27 of 59 3-pointers.
Braun is 10 of 13 from 3-point range over his last two games against Missouri Western and at Central Oklahoma, scoring 17 points in both games.
Sophomore Michael Keegan is scoring 8.4 points a game with 6.1 rebounds per game, 13 steals and 11 blocks. In MIAA games he is averaging 10.6 points and 5.6 rebounds.
Freshman Brady Christiansen leads the Ichabods with a 7.1 rebounding average.
Mikel Henderson leads the Mules with a 14.2 scoring average while Gavin Pinkley is averaging 12.8 points.
Washburn will host Lincoln on Saturday in a 3 p.m. MIAA contest.
