By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Washburn men's basketball will wrap up the regular season on Saturday in Lee Arena, hosting rival Emporia State at 3 p.m.
Junior Andrew Orr averages a team-best 13.6 points for 18-9 Washburn basketball. [File photo/TSN]
Washburn (18-9 overall, 14-7 MIAA) won its final regular season road game of the year on Wednesday, taking a 77-72 win at Missouri Southern. The Hornets (18-11, 11-10) fell 79-76 at Pittsburg State, snapping their four-game winning streak.
The Ichabods, who have already clinched a spot in the MIAA Tournament in Kansas City, Mo., are in a tie for third in the MIAA standings with Pittsburg State (15-7). Northwest Missouri (19-2) and Fort Hays State (16-5) lead the league standings with one game to play. Rogers State is alone in fifth at 13-8. Missouri Southern is 11-10 tied with Central Oklahoma and Emporia State.
If the Ichabods and Gorillas remain tied for third, the Ichabods would have the tiebreaker by virtue of a head-to-head win on Jan. 20 in Lee Arena.
The MIAA Championship Tournament will be held next week in historic Municipal Auditorium.
Junior Andrew Orr leads the team in scoring with a 13.6 average. Orr is shooting 54 percent from the field, hitting 148 of 273 attempts. Orr also moved into 47th on Washburn's all-time scoring chart with 854 career points.
Sophomore Sam Ungashick is scoring 12.5 points per game, while averaging 3.6 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.4 steals. Ungashick leads the team with team with 39 steals.
Freshman Jack Bachelor is scoring 11.7 points per game this season and leads the team with 105 assists. Bachelor has scored 316 points this season, which is seventh on the Ichabod freshman season scoring chart and his 41 3-pointers are sixth.
Sophomore Brady Christiansen is averaging 8.2 points with a team-high 6.7 rebounds per game.
Freshman Brayden Shorter is averaging 7.5 points and has reached double figures in the last three games, averaging 16.7 points.
Junior Michael Keegan is scoring 7.4 points and 5.3 rebounds and is coming off a 12-point game against Missouri Southern last time out.
Alijah Comithier leads four Hornets in double-figure scoring at 17.9 points per game.
Solomon Oraegbu is averaging 16.3 points, Owen Long 15.1 points and Atavian Butler 14.1.
The meeting on Saturday will be the 221st meeting between the two schools and the Ichabods lead at 113-107.
Emporia took a 71-69 MIAA win over Washburn in White Auditorium back on Dec. 2.
Orr put WU in front 69-66 with 55 seconds to play, but a four-point play by Long tied the score and ESU hit two free throws to wrap up the win.
Ungashick led the Ichabods with 21 points while Long scored 22 to lead the Hornets.
Overall there were 12 lead changes and six ties in the game.
Seeding for the MIAA Championship Tournament will be announced at the conclusion of all games on Saturday.
