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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 2-ranked Washburn University men's basketball will be back in Lee Arena for the first time in 39 days on Wednesday, hosting Missouri Western at 7:30 p.m.
Washburn men's basketball coach Brett Ballard picked up his 150th win at WU in Saturday's 105-77 win at Emporia State and has a 66.7-percent winning percentage with the Ichabods. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods improved to 13-0 overall and 4-0 in the MIAA with a 105-77 win over Emporia State on Saturday in Emporia, with WU scoring its most points in the 222-game series.
The Griffons are 10-4 this season and 2-2 in the MIAA after topping Fort Hays State 47-44 on Saturday in St. Joseph.
The No. 2 ranking is the highest by an Ichabod team since earning a No. 2 ranking on Dec. 18, 2012.
Ichabod head coach Brett Ballard picked up his 150th win at Washburn in the victory over Emporia State and is 150-75 in his eighth season as the WU head coach.
At 13-0 Washburn is off to its best start to begin a season since starting the 2003-04 season 16-0 en route to the MIAA regular-season championship. The Ichabods are one of four undefeated teams remaining in the NCAA Division II ranks, joining Minot State (17-0), Nova Southeastern (13-0) and Daemen (12-0).
Washburn senior Andrew Orr became the 28th member of the Ichabod 1,000 point club earlier this season and now has 1,067 career points, moving into 20th all time by passing Travis Robbins who scored 1,051 points in two seasons. Next on the scoring chart is former Topeka West star Alex North, who scored 1,082 points from 2010-15.
WU senior Jacob Hanna is closing in on 1,000 points in his collegiate career between Washburn and Illinois-Springfield, scoring 928 career points.
Ichabod senior Michael Keegan has 875 career points in 109 career games and he has moved into sixth all-time at Washburn in career blocks with 91. He has also moved into the top 10 on the WU all-time steal chart with 122, sitting eighth.
Sophomore Brayden Shorter, who leads WU with a 16.8 scoring average, is fourth in the nation in 3-pointers per game at 3.77 and he's ranked seventh in total 3-pointers made with 49.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
For the first time in over a month Washburn University women's basketball is back home to begin its season-longest four-game homestand on Wednesday, hosting Missouri Western State at 5:30 p.m. in Lee Arena.
Washburn women's basketball begins a four-game homestand on Wednesday against Missouri Western. [Photo courtesy of Washburn Athletics]
Washburn is 7-7 on the season after erasing a double-digit second-half deficit last Saturday to knock off Emporia State 64-61 for its first MIAA win.
Missouri Western moved to 9-3 on the year and stayed undefeated in the MIAA at 4-0 after knocking off No. 3-ranked Fort Hays State 67-66 at home on Saturday.
Wednesday's meeting with Missouri Western will be the 102nd all-time meeting between the two schools. Washburn leads the all-time series between the two teams, 57-47.
Yibari Nwidadah leads the Ichabods with a 16.7 scoring average while also shooting a team-high 70.7 percent from the field and grabbing a team-best 7.3 rebounds per game. The junior has started all 12 games she has played in, logging 25.8 minutes per game.
She has shot at or above 50.0 percent in every game this season and has two double-doubles. The Olathe North product has the best field goal percentage in the nation while ranking fourth in the MIAA in points per game and ninth in rebounds per game.
With 180 career offensive rebounds Nwidadah is ninth in program history. She is six boards away from moving up to No. 8. In overall rebounds she is tied for 23rd in Washburn history with 478. Nwidadah's career field goal percentage of 58.3 percent is the second-best in program history and she ranks 42nd with 705 career points.
Junior Payton Sterk averages 15.7 points while starting all 14 contests and playing a team-high 30.2 minutes per game. Sterk is shooting 42.6 percent from the floor and a team-high 38 percent from 3-point range while hitting a team-high 30 3-pointers.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
CAMRYNN AHRENS, Washburn Rural
A junior, Ahrens earned second-team All-City recognition last season after helping the Junior Blues post a second-place team finish in the Class 6A state tournament. Ahrens shot a 557 three-game series at state and shot a 502 series to help Washburn Rural win a 6A regional team championship.
ASHLEY BILLUPS, Washburn Rural
Billups, a senior, received second-team All-City honors last season after helping Washburn Rural finish as the state runnerup in the Class 6A state meet. Billups shot a 557 three-game series in the state tournament. Billups shot a 520 series in the city tournament and a 493 series in 6A regional competition.
Washburn Rural sophomore Megan Glinka was a first-team All-City pick last season as a freshman after helping Rural finish second in Class 6A. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
MEGAN GLINKA, Washburn Rural
Glinka, a sophomore, was a first-team All-City selection last season as a freshman after playing a major role for a Washburn Rural team that won Centennial League and regional championships and placed second as a team in the Class 6A state tournament. Glinka shot a 535 series at state after placing 11th at regionals (550), 13th in the Centennial League (487) and shooting a 536 in the city tournament.
Junior Claire LaDuke helped Seaman place third in Class 5A in 2024. [File photo/TSN]
CLAIRE LaDUKE, Seaman
A junior, LaDuke shot a 484 three-game series in the 2024 Class 5A state tournament, helping Seaman earn the third-place team trophy. LaDuke finished seventh individually in 5A regional competition with a 541 three-game series. LaDuke shot a 504 series in the city championships.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
CHASE BLASER, Hayden
A senior, Blaser capped the 2024 season with a ninth-place individual finish in the Class 4A-1A state meet with a 637 three-game series, leading Hayden to a fifth-place team finish. Blaser won a 4A-1A regional title with a 603 series while leading the Wildcats to the team championship and he bowled a 556 series in the city meet.
Senior Caden Cochrane placed third in Class 5A last season, helping lead Shawnee Heights to the state team title. [Photo by Selena Favela/Special to TSN]
CADEN COCHRANE, Shawnee Heights
Cochrane, a senior, posted a third-place individual finish in the 2024 state meet with a 685 three-game series, helping lead Shawnee Heights to its first-ever Class 5A state boys team championship. A second-team All-City selection as a junior, Cochrane posted an 18th-place regional finish and shot a 605 series in the United Kansas Conference meet.
Sophomores Trey Donath (right) and Evan Jones return for state-champion Shawnee Heights after earning first-team All-City honors last season. [File photo/TSN]
TREY DONATH, Shawnee Heights
Donath, a sophomore, earned first-team All-City recognition last season as a freshman after placing eighth in the Class 5A state meet with a 667 series to help Shawnee Heights win its first-ever 5A state boys team title. Donath finished 13th at regionals (569) and shot a 617 in the United Kansas Conference meet and a 614 in the city meet.
TYLER FAUROT, Washburn Rural
A senior, Faurot was a second-team All-City selection in both 2023 and 2024. Faurot finished fifth in the city tournament with a 663 three-game series and placed fifth in the Centennial League meet with a 619 series. Faurot, a member of Rural's Class 6A state championship team in 2023, Faurot shot a 576 series in the 2024 regional meet.
Washburn Rural senior Logan Glinka is a two-time All-City pick and the reigning city champion. [File photo/TSN]
LOGAN GLINKA, Washburn Rural
Glinka, a senior, won the city championship with a three-game 729 series and finished second in the Centennial League with a 653 series as the Junior Blues won the team championship. A three-time first-team All-City pick, Glinka finished seventh in the 2023 Class 6A state tournament as Washburn Rural captured the 6A state team championship.
Sophomore Dylan Hunt helped Seaman finish third in Class 5A last season. [File photo/TSN]
DYLAN HUNT, Seaman
A sophomore, Hunt finished third in the United Kansas Conference championships with a 673 series and placed sixth in Class 5A regional competition with a 626 series and followed that up with a 560 three-game series at state to help the Vikings earn the third-place team trophy.
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By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
EMPORIA-- Washburn University women's basketball rallied from a double-digit second-half deficit Saturday to defeat Emporia State 64-61 inside of White Auditorium in the Ichabods' opening game of 2025.
Freshman guard Brooke Gomez (1) scored a career-high 14 points as Washburn rallied for a 64-61 MIAA road win over Emporia State Saturday. [Photo courtesy of Emporia State Athletics]
The Ichabods moved back to .500 on the season with their first MIAA win and will return to Topeka for four straight games, beginning Wednesday against Missouri Western (5:30 p.m. tipoff).
After Washburn (7-7 overall, 1-3 MIAA) scored the opening basket of the game courtesy of Gabi Giovannetti the next 10 points were all scored by the Lady Hornets (7-6, 2-2).
The Ichabods made up ground at the free throw line, connecting on five free throws in the opening quarter to get back within two points.
Late in the quarter the Ichabods briefly went in front after a triple from Giovannetti before Emporia State knotted the game at 16 to end the first.
Both sides struggled to score in the second quarter as defenses tightened up before halftime.
Even with just five combined field goals in the quarter there were five lead changes and three ties as the game went back and forth.
The final four points of the quarter went to the Lady Hornets, all at the free throw line, to lead 28-25 at the break.
Coming out of halftime Emporia State started on a 8-0 run to lead by a game-high 11 points at the 7:32 mark in the third quarter.
Inside of five minutes to play Washburn's Nia McKenzie scored an old-fashioned three-point play which began a 13-2 stretch for Washburn to end the quarter.
They went in front 41-39 after Brooke Gomez got a 3-pointer to go and would enter the fourth tied at 41.
