By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
No. 10-ranked Washburn University men's basketball flirted with the century mark while holding Ottawa to 24 points below its season scoring average with a 97-57 Tuesday night win in its home home opener.
Washburn sophomore Brayden Shorter scored a career-high 26 points to lead the Ichabods in a 97-57 win over Ottawa Tuesday night. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Sophomore Brayden Shorter led four double-figure scorers for the Ichabods with a career-high 26 points on 10 of 19 shooting, including 4 of 9 3-pointers.
"We do score the ball really well, but I feel like what sets us apart is our defense and just being able to hold teams,'' Shorter said. "Like we held them under 60 tonight and that's really good. We scored 97 points and I don't know how many I scored but I think just the defensive end is really what sets us apart.''
Senior Andrew Orr, the reigning MIAA player of the week, had 14 points with a perfect shooting night (6 of 6 from the field, 2 of 2 at the free throw line) while adding four steals.
Washburn senior Jacob Hanna scored 13 points Tuesday night as the Ichabods improved to 3-0 with a 97-57 home win over Ottawa. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Jacob Hanna added 13 points, followed by Michael Keegan with 12 points and a game-high nine rebounds and five steals.
Jack Bachelor had a career-high 10 assists while adding nine points.
Orr had the first two buckets of the game for Washburn with the score knotted at four two minutes into the game.
The 3-0 Ichabods scored the next seven points, with the last five coming from Shorter to go up 11-4.
A free throw from Keegan with 11:38 to play in the half pushed the lead to double figures at 21-11.
The free throw was the first of a 9-0 run, which was capped off by another free throw from Keegan at the 9:36 mark.
Back-to-back triples from Shorter pushed the lead up to 25 points with 2:57 left in the half and Washburn led by as many as 28 points in the first half before going into the break up by 25 at 51-26 over the Braves.
A 20-4 run midway through the second half pushed the Ichabod lead to a game-high 45 points at 85-40 with 7:09 remaining in the game.
"It was good to feel that the first home game of the year but we're just going to keep getting better and it's hopefully going to be a really fun year for us,'' Shorter said. "I think we're going to be really good.''
Senior Michael Keegan (23) had 12 points, 9 rebounds and 5 steals in Tuesday's 97-57 Washburn win over Ottawa. [Photo by Rex Wolf/TSN]
Keegan agreed.
"I like where we're at now, but there's only good things to look forward to,'' he said. "Coach (Brett) Ballard instills that toughness in us and just that grit to be the best team rather than go chase the best team. He really talks about hunting this year instead of being hunted.
"We're just looking to take every team seriously and just pretty much go out and do what we do.''
P.J. Twa led the Braves, who played Tuesday's game as an exhibition, with 11 points.
Washburn shot 49 percent in the game (35 of 72) while holding the Braves to 22 of 55 shooting (40 percent).
Washburn also held a 48-28 rebounding advantage as the Ichabods outscored the Braves 48-28 in the paint while turning Ottawa over 22 times leading to 33 points.
"It was not our A-plus game, but I thought it was good in spurts,'' Ballard said. "We did speed them up and I liked the turnovers we forced and allowed us to get out in transition. That was very positive.
"We've got to convert a little better in transition, but I did like the pace that we were able to create out of that. We scored 97 and didn't really shoot it well at all and missed quite a few free throws, but that's probably overall a good sign.''
The Ichabods won their 500th game in Lee Arena, improving to 500-103 (.829) in 40 seasons of action.
The Ichabods will be back in action on Friday night in Kansas City, Mo. where Washburn will take on Rockhurst at 7 p.m.
WASHBURN MEN 97, OTTAWA 57
Ottawa 26 31 -- 57
Washburn 51 46 -- 97
OTTAWA (4-1)
T. Twa 2-3 2-3 6, Robinson 1-4 2-2 4, Buggage 2-11 3-3 8, Jones 0-2 2-4 2, Hibbitt 5-12 0-0 10, P. Twa 4-8 3-4 11, Riddick 0-0 0-0 0, Wheeler 0-1 0-0 0, Tyler 5-9 0-0 10, Hof 3-4 0-0 6, Gudonis 0-0 0-0 0, Kaiser 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 22-55 12-16 57.
WASHBURN (3-0)
Orr 6-6 2-2 14, Hanna 3-6 6-9 13, Bachelor 4-12 0-1 9, Shorter 10-19 2-2 26, Keegan 3-4 6-7 12, Christiansen 0-6 1-2 1, Claussen 4-7 0-0 8, Schadegg 3-7 2-3 9, Cook 2-4 1-3 5, Parker 0-1 0-0 0, Dajani 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 35-72 20-29 97.
3-point goals -- Ottawa 1-13 (Buggage 1-5, Hibbitt 0-4, Jones 0-1, P. Twa 0-1, Tyler 0-1, Kaiser 0-1). Washburn 7-29 (Shorter 4-9, Bachelor 1-9, Schadegg 1-4, Hanna 1-2, Christiansen 0-4, Parker 0-1), Rebounds -- Ottawa 28 (T. Twa 4), Washburn 48 (Keegan 9, Claussen 8). Assists -- Ottawa 5 (Tyler 3), Washburn 18 (Bachelor 10). Turnovers -- Ottawa 22, Washburn 9. Total fouls -- Ottawa 23, Washburn 15. Fouled out -- none. Technical fouls -- none.
