By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn University's women's basketball team will travel to St. Joseph, Mo. on Thursday to face Missouri Western in a 5:30 p.m. MIAA contest.
Washburn is 12-11 overall and 10-7 in the MIAA while Missouri Western is 19-5, 13-5.
The Ichabods are coming off a thrilling 72-71 home victory over Central Missouri on Saturday, while the Griffons, who were ranked No. 21 last week, dropped out of the Top 25 after double-figure road losses at Missouri Southern and Pittsburg State.
Missouri Western bounced back to defeat Emporia State in White Auditorium on Tuesday evening, 81-67.
Missouri Western won the first matchup against Washburn this season, rolling to an 80-47 win in Lee Arena on Feb. 1.
The Ichabods have five games remaining in the regular season before the MIAA Tournament at Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Mo. March 2-6. The top-10 MIAA teams will compete in the tournament.
Washburn is currently sixth in the conference standings.
Washburn senior Hunter Bentley needs 34 points to move into the No. 6 spot on the Ichabods' all-time career scoring list. [File photo}
Ichbod senior standout Hunter Bentley has moved up to No. 9 in the MIAA in scoring with a 14.1 average after scoring in double figures in the last six consecutive games, including three 20-point-plus games.
Bentley needs 34 more points to pass Latisha Yarnell (1984-88) and move up to No. 6 on Washburn's career scoring list.
Abby Oliver scored a season-high 17 points in the WU win over Central Missouri, with 10 of those coming during a fourth-quarter comeback.
Oliver is averaging 8.9 points and 4.5 rebounds and leads the team with 25 blocks.
Macy Doebele is third on the team in scoring at 7.9 points per game and second in rebounds with a 5.1 average.
Against the Jennies, Doebele she grabbed a team-best 11 rebounds to go with seven points.
Nuria Barrientos leads the Ichabods with a 5.3 rebounding average to go with a 6.9 scoring average.
After going just 6-16 in the conference-only 2020-21 schedule, Missouri Western opened the current season on a nine-game winning streak.
Three Western players are in the top 15 in the MIAA in scoring, with Brionna Budgetts averaging 13.1 points, Connie Clarke 12.8 points and Corbyn Cunningham 12.4 points per game.
Clarke leads the Griffons and is sixth in the conference with an 8.6 rebounding average. She also has made a team-best 20 blocks and 44 steals.
Washburn closes out the week at Northwest Missouri on Saturday in Maryville, Mo. (1:30 p.m. start).
