By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The No. 2-ranked Washburn University men are back in action on Saturday afternoon, hosting Northwest Missouri at 3 p.m. in Lee Arena.
Senior Andrew Orr needs just four points in Saturday's game against Northwest Missouri to move into 19th all-time on Washburn's career scoring chart. [File photo/TSN]
The Ichabods improved to 14-0 overall and 5-0 in the MIAA after rolling over Missouri Western 92-74 on Wednesday in Lee Arena. The Bearcats are 4-10 this season and 2-3 in the MIAA after a 63-62 win at Central Missouri on Thursday night in Warrensburg, hitting a 3-pointer with 4.9 seconds to play to snap a three-game losing streak.
The No. 2 national ranking is the highest by an Ichabod team since earning a No. 2 on Dec. 18, 2012.
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 now one of three undefeated teams remaining in the NCAA Division II ranks, joining No. 4 Minot State (17-0), and No. 3 Daemen (12-0). The No. 1 team, Nova Southeastern, lost its first game of the season on Wednesday to Palm Beach Atlantic 89-66 on the road.
WU senior Andrew Orr now has 1,079 career points, moving into 20th all time, and is just three points behind former Topeka West star Alex North on the scoring chart. North scored 1,082 points from 2010-15.
Senior Jacob Hanna is closing in on 1,000 points in his collegiate career between Washburn and Illinois-Springfield, scoring 949 career points.
Ichabod senior Michael Keegan has 885 career points in 110 career games as an Ichabod and has moved into sixth all-time at Washburn in career blocks with 91. Keegan has also moved into the top 10 on the all-time steal chart with 126, sitting seventh.
Sophomore Brayden Shorter is sixth in the nation in 3-pointers per game at 3.71 and he's ranked sixth in total 3-pointers made at 52.
The Bearcats are coached by former Ichabod assistant coach Matt Keeley, who was an assistant for Bob Chipman over the 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons. His father Mike is in the Washburn Athletic Hall of Fame and his sister Cindy was a member of the 2005 Lady Blues Basketball National Championship team.
Emorie Knox leads Northwest Missouri with a 14.5 scoring average while Spencer Schomers is scoring 10.1 points per game. Luke Moustakas is scoring 9.0 points with a team-high 24 3-pointers, including the game-winner at Central Missouri on Thursday.
Saturday's meeting will be the 122nd between the two schools. Washburn holds a 63-58 lead in the series but the Bearcats have won the last seven games.
The Ichabods will be looking to snap a nine-game losing streak to the Bearcats in Lee Arena. Washburn's last win over Northwest in Lee was on Feb. 9, 2013 in an 80-67 win.
The Ichabods will continue their homestand with a rematch of the Jan. 4 game at Emporia State, hosting the Hornets on Wednesday in Lee Arena before finishing off the four-game set in Lee Arena with Newman next Saturday.
