By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
The fact that Saturday’s home MIAA basketball game against Northeastern State was postponed was a good news, bad news scenario for Washburn University’s men’s basketball team.
The postponement, due to COVID-19 protocols at Northeastern State, gave the Ichabods, who have been battling injuries and illness, a few extra days to get ready for Tuesday's 6 p.m. makeup contest against Lincoln at Lee Arena.
But the postponement also makes an already hectic schedule over the final three weeks of the regular season even busier, with the Ichabods now working in the Northeastern makeup game on Feb. 23 in addition to its regular-scheduled contests.
“It will give us a little bit of a chance to hopefully get some guys off of sickness and hopefully heal up a little bit,’’ Washburn coach Brett Ballard said. “But at some point you’ve got to make those games up and we’re running out of time to get the season in.
“Probably right now it feels good, but when you’ve got to make these up in the next two weeks or so you may not like it as much.’’
Washburn star point guard Tyler Geiman leads 12-3 Washburn into Tuesday's home makeup game against Lincoln. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
The No. 17-ranked Ichabods, 12-3 overall and in the MIAA, will face a Lincoln team (8-7, 8-7) in a game that was originally scheduled for Dec. 19 but postponed because members of the Blue Tiger squad were out because of COVID protocols.
The Ichabods are coming off an 88-77 win over Rogers State last Thursday while the Blue Tigers are coming off an 85-77 overtime loss at Pittsburg State.
Senior point guard Tyler Geiman is averaging 21.3 points, 6.1 assists, 6.5 rebounds and 1.9 steals for the Ichabods.
Junior Jalen Lewis is averaging 11.3 points while hitting 36 of 75 3-point attempts and Topekan Levi Braun, a redshirt freshman, is averaging 9.3 points and has hit 44 of 81 3-point attempts (54.3 percent).
Jonny Clausing, a 6-foot-9 junior, averages 10.6 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, but has missed Washburn’s last six games with a foot injury.
Junior Will McKee has also been out with a knee injury while sophomore Connor Deffebaugh missed the Rogers State game due to illness.
Sai Witt averages a team-high 17 points and 8.8 rebounds for Lincoln while Derrick Wood averages 16.7 points, Quinton Drayton 16.6 and Cameron Potts 10.2 points. Witt also leads the team in rebounds at 8.8 ppg.
WU-NORTHEASTERN PART II
Washburn’s women are set to face Northeastern State for the second time in four days Tuesday, with the Ichabods traveling to Tahlequah, Okla. to take on the RiverHawks in a 4 p.m. makeup contest.
Tuesday’s game was originally scheduled for Jan. 2, but was postponed due to COVID-19 protocols by the RiverHawks.
Washburn posted a 76-66 win over Northeastern State at Lee Arena on Saturday to improve to 7-8 on the season while the RiverHawks fell to 4-12.
Senior Hunter Bentley, who had 27 points Saturday, averages 16.5 points for the Ichabods to go with 6.4 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.5 steals per game.
Junior Nuria Barrientos is averaging 11.3 ppg and 8.9 rebounds and is coming off a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds Saturday.
Freshman Lauren Cassady averages 4.6 points and 4.0 rebounds and scored a career-high 15 points on Saturday.
Cenia Hayes led Northeastern State with 20 points in Saturday’s loss to Washburn.
Zaria Collins averages a team-high 17.7 for the RiverHawks and had 17 points Saturday.
Washburn plays a twinbill Saturday at Central Missouri, with the women’s game tipping off at 1 p.m., followed by the men’s game.
