By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 1 nationally-ranked Washburn University men's basketball will put its perfect 16-0 record on the line Thursday in a 7:30 p.m. MIAA road game against Emporia State in White Auditorium.
Sophomore Dillon Claussen leads 16-0 Washburn with 16.3 points and 6.9 rebounds per game entering Thursday's MIAA game at Emporia State. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The Ichabods, 6-0 in the MIAA, will be facing the Hornets for the second time in 12 days after taking a 91-66 win over Emporia State on Jan. 3 in Lee Arena.
Washburn is one of four remaining undefeated teams in Division II after topping Northwest Missouri 76-53 last Saturday.
The Hornets are 5-10 this season and 1-5 in the MIAA after recording an 82-79 win over Nebraska-Kearney last Saturday.
The Hornets are 3-3 in home games this season.
Washburn leads NCAA Division II in scoring margin at plus 27.6 points per game and is third in field goal percentage at 51.8 percent and second in rebound margin at plus 12.6.
Washburn has not been out-rebounded in a game and has only been tied twice (Lubbock Christian and Emporia State).
WU junior Jeremiah Jones leads the nation in total steals and is third in steals per game at 3.31.
Sophomore Dillon Claussen is sixth in the nation in field goal percentage at 66.4 while junior Jack Bachelor is fourth in the nation in assist to turnover ratio at 3.39 to 1.
Claussen recorded his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds at Northwest Missouri while senior Bryson Smith led the Ichabods with 16 points against the Bearcats.
In the earlier game against Emporia State Jones paced Washburn with a career-high 20 points on 8 of 10 shooting, including 4-of-5 from beyond the arc, with four assists and four steals. Claussen finished with 16 points, four steals and three blocks and Bachelor scored 16 points with four 3-pointers, nine assists and one turnover. Senior Brady Christiansen led the ichabods with eight rebounds.
Chris Harris led Emporia State with 19 points in the Hornets' first meeting with Washburn.
The Ichabods' 16-game winning streak is second in the nation behind Daemen, which has won its last 17 games.
The 16-game winning streak is the sixth-longest in Washburn program history.
Thursday's game will be the 223rd meeting between Washburn and Emporia State, with the Ichabods leading at 115-108. The Ichabods are 45-61 against the Hornets on the road.
The Ichabods travel to Wichita on Saturday to take on Newman.
