By KYLE MANTHE
The Washburn Review
Washburn women’s basketball played host to Central Missouri on Saturday with a chance to move above .500 for the first time this season.
They were able to do just that, using a 24-point fourth quarter to come back and sweep the season series against the Jennies with a 72-71 win.
“We knew they were mad from the game earlier this season when we beat them, so we knew that we were going to have to dig deep and fight,” said senior Hunter Bentley.
Washburn senior standout Hunter Bentley huddles up with her team during Saturday's 72-71 MIAA win over Central Missouri. [Photo by Kyle Manthe]
The win moved the Ichabods to 12-11 on the year and was the team's seventh win in its last nine games.
“Kids did a great job adjusting in the second half and just battling. That group is hard to guard, and very talented offensively,” said Washburn coach Ron McHenry. “The kids did a great job, and they were tired … they did a nice job, it was probably one of the toughest games we have played all year.”
Washburn’s offense was rolling early, getting baskets from the post and driving downhill leading to six first-quarter free throws to dig out of an early five-point deficit.
The first 10 minutes were capped off by back-to-back 3-pointers from Bentley in the final 68 seconds to give the Ichabods a 20-16 lead after one.
Washburn’s offense got cold in the second quarter, managing only two points in the first five minutes.
Defensively the Ichabods struggled to contain the Jennies two leading scorers, freshman Brooke Littrell and senior Nija Collier, who combined for 21 points in the half.
An eight-point burst in the final two minutes for Central Missouri put the Jennies up 36-29 at the break.
The Jennies kept the lead at that margin for the start of the third quarter as both sides picked up the pace offensively.
Washburn was able to get back into the game led by its seniors. as Bentley and fellow senior Nuria Barrientos combined for 12 points in the quarter to pull Washburn within one point at the end of the third.
“We got stops and we got out in transition and we picked up some easy layups from that,” Bentley said.
Littrell and Collier continued to score to begin the fourth, turning a one-point game into seven with just over eight minutes to play.
The Ichabods quickly got back into the game with good ball movement, as they notched eight assists in the fourth quarter.
A 3-pointer from sophomore Macy Doebele at the 4:19 mark brought them all the way back to tie the game at 65.
“They were matchup-zoning a lot, and we were struggling with it and then in the second half we kind of picked it apart with one of our halfcourt offenses and got some slip action going,” McHenry said.
The score was still tied when sophomore Abby Oliver took a pass from Barrientos on a fast break and converted an old-fashioned three-point play to put Washburn out in front with 2:06 to play.
The Ichabods struggled at the line down the stretch, knocking down only one of four free throws in the final two minutes. That allowed the Jennies to pull within one at the 1:30 mark after a three-point play.
That would be the last score of the game as Washburn’s defense locked down Central Missouri late, including the final possession coming out of a timeout with five seconds left that resulted in a turnover for the Jennies giving the Ichabods the one-point win.
“Confidence goes a long way, we finally got some confidence, winning some games in a row to know that we can play against anybody out there,” McHenry said on having a winning record for the first time all season. “I knew we were getting close, I don’t like to look at it but I knew we were going to fight back to it. I’m just proud of the girls.”
Senior Hunter Bentley led Washburn with 19 points and five assists in Saturday's 72-71 win over Central Missouri. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/TSN]
Washburn senior Nuria Barrientos scored 12 points to help the Ichabods edge Central Missouri on Saturday, 72-71. [Photo by Kyle Manthe/TSN]
Bentley led the way with 19 points to go along with five assists. Oliver scored 17 on an efficient 8-12 shooting and Barrientos added 12 on six shots. Doebele had seven points with a team-best 11 rebounds.
The win moved Washburn to 12-11 and 10-7 in MIAA play after starting the season 1-7.
“We always knew that we were good, we just had to put it together. So we just had to come together as a team and we knew that everything else on the court would follow,” Bentley said.
“I am just proud of the girls because that isn’t easy.''
Next up the Ichabods will be on the road to face Missouri Western State on Thursday.
WASHBURN WOMEN 72, CENTRAL MISSOURI 71
Washburn 20 9 19 24 -- 72
Central Missouri 16 20 13 24 -- 71
Central Missouri (16-9, 12-6)
Littrell 6-14 13-13 25, Nelson 5-10 1-1 12, Bovaird 2-5 0-0 6, Collier 8-16 1-1 18, Vigil 2-5 0-0 6, Hackerott 2-3 0-0 4, Vanzant 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 25-52 15-15 71.
Washburn (12-11, 10-7)
Gamble 2-5 0-0 6, Oliver 8-12 1-1 17, Bentley 7-16 1-1 19, Barrientos 4-6 4-6 12, Doebele 2-5 2-8 7, Sanchez 2-5 2-2 7, Sanz 0-1 0-0 0, Dewey 2-4 0-0 4. Totals 27-54 10-18 72.
3-point shots – Central Missouri: 6-18 (Littrell 0-2, Nelson 1-2, Bovaird 2-4, Collier 1-5, Vigil 2-4, Hackerott 0-1). Washburn 8-21 (Gamble 2-5, Bentley 4-11, Doebele 1-2, Sanchez 1-3). Rebounds – Central Missouri 28 (Littrell 8), Washburn 30 (Doebele 11). Assists – Central Missouri 11 (Littrell, Collier, Vigil, Vanzant 2), Washburn 18 (Bentley 5). Turnovers – Central Missouri 13, Washburn 11. Fouled out – none. Technical fouls – none.
