By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The Washburn Ichabods will play their final game of the 2023 calendar season as they will host Northeastern State at 4 p.m. Tuesday at Lee Arena.
Sophomore Sam Ungashick scored a total of 50 points in Washburn's last two games. [File photo/TSN]
Ichabod junior Andrew Orr is averaging 13.2 points while shooting 94.1 percent from the free throw line. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn (6-4 overall, 2-2 in the MIAA) topped Missouri Western 83-77 on Saturday in St. Joseph.
The RiverHawks are 4-5 overall and 0-4 in the MIAA after falling at Rogers State 80-72 last Wednesday.
Northeastern State has lost its last four games since a 72-70 win over Ozarks on Nov. 20.
Tuesday's meeting will be the 22nd in the all-time series, which the Ichabods lead 11-10 after a 66-56 win Jan. 28 in Topeka.
Sophomore Sam Ungashick leads the Ichabods with a 17.3 scoring average in his first season at Washburn while averaging 3.9 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Ungashick has reached double figures in each of his last nine games while averaging 20.3 points in MIAA contests. Ungashick is coming off a career-high 26 points against Missouri Western.
Junior Andrew Orr is averaging 13.2 points this season while going 32 of 34 from the free throw line, which ranks third in the nation in percentage at 94.1.
Orr is shooting 53 percent from the field.
Former Washburn Rural star Jack Bachelor is scoring 9.7 points per game as a freshman, making his first collegiate start against Missouri Western and scoring 10 points.
Sophomore Brady Christiansen is averaging 8.5 points with a team-high 7.9 rebounds. He's averaged 10.0 rebounds over the last two contests.
Junior Michael Keegan is scoring 6.5 points per game with 4.7 rebounds and 1.1 blocks and is coming off a season-high 13 points with eight rebounds, six assists, four steals and a block against Missouri Western.
The Ichabods are third in the nation in 3-point shooting at 43.3 percent and are first in the MIAA in scoring average (81.6 points) and rank eighth in scoring defense (72.3).
Washburn coach Brett Ballard is 7-3 against Northeastern State
NSU has four players averaging double figures, led by Anthony Allen at 15.6 points per game, followed by Trey Quartlebaum (12.2), Caison Hartloff (10.6) and Ethan Blackman (10.4). Jaxson Jones is scoring 9.9 points per game.
Overall the RiverHawks are averaging 72.0 ppg while allowing 70.8 ppg.
The Ichabods have won nine of the last 12 meetings in the series against the RiverHawks.
The RiverHawks won the NCAA National Championship in 2003.
Washburn will return to the court on Jan. 4, 2024, hosting Central Oklahoma.
