Washburn men’s basketball was back in action Nov. 27 for one final tune up before conference play began. The 2-3 Ichabods faced off against Benedictine college, who would play the game as an exhibition. It counted the same as any other for Washburn as it looked to even its record on the year.

Offense was coming quick from both sides early on, for the Ichabods outside shooting was key to its early 13-8 lead, including two from freshman guard Michael Keegan. Fouls began to be an issue for Washburn as they sent the Ravens to the free throw line eight times in the first 10 minutes, allowing them to jump in front 18-15.

Outside shooting kept Benedictine out in front, as they hit four in the first 13 minutes of the game as the lead grew to as much as seven. The Ichabods were able to respond quickly as a 3-pointer by senior forward Rathen Carter tied it up after four more points by Keegan. Washburn held the Ravens scoreless for a four-minute stretch but were only able to lead by three, after a 3-pointer by senior guard Jalen Lewis made the score 36-33 at halftime.

Each side came out of halftime firing, the Ichabods were led by senior forward Jeremy Harrell, who had seven in the first four minutes. On the other end Benedictine was countering two’s with three’s, knocking down four triples in the first five minutes to tie the game at 45.

The offenses for both sides began to cool down, but the Ravens were able to pull ahead by two points after technical foul free throws were awarded with just under ten minutes to play.

After getting to the line only once in the first 25 minutes of action, Washburn was able to take the lead after four free throws by freshman guard Azeem Ross and two by Lewis.

“I thought that teams did a better job of taking the fight to us a little bit, but I did like the fact that we were a little more aggressive,” said head coach Brett Ballard.

Benedictine continued to knock down shots from outside, but on the other end sophomore guard Connor Deffebaugh took over offensively, scoring seven points on three straight possessions to grow the lead to seven points with three minutes to play.

“My teammates have been giving me confidence all year, coach has been trying to give me confidence just to be aggressive and attack and lead the team. So when I found the opportunity, I just had to assert myself and try to make something happen,” Deffebaugh said.

A jumper by Keegan with 1:52 remaining made it an 11-point game, which is all the cushion that the Ichabods would need to close out the game with a 79-69 victory.

“I liked our response, there was some adversity we went through tonight. I thought we responded the right way,” Ballard said. “I like how we dug in, played together and got the stops we needed and had good possessions.”

Keegan and Deffebaugh each led the way with 17 points, while Lewis added 16, eight rebounds and five assists. Keegan also recorded eight rebounds along with three triples.

“It’s been fun. We got guys down that are on the way back and somebody’s gotta step up and make something work to keep this thing moving.” Deffebaugh said. “There’s not a lot of opportunities to play at home so it was fun to compete and get a win.”

The win moved Washburn to 3-3 on the year with the next game coming Dec. 1 against Fort Hays State University. The home game will serve as the beginning of conference play for the Ichabods.

Edited by Ellie Walker, Katrina Johnson