After picking up its first conference win of the season, Washburn women’s basketball looked to build its first winning streak of the season with a matchup against Rogers State Dec. 18. The Ichabods entered the afternoon 2-7 on the year but faced off with a Hillcats team looking for its first conference win of the season.

Offense came easy for both teams in the first quarter. Washburn worked the ball inside, scoring 16 points in the paint in the first quarter alone. The Ichabods jumped out to a 10-6 lead after back-to-back baskets by sophomore guard Macy Doebele.

The Hillcats battled back to take the lead but a layup by sophomore forward Abby Oliver, who scored a team-high six in the opening quarter, put Washburn in front 19-18.

Oliver continued to score in the second quarter, with two baskets on nice passes from senior guard Nuria Barrientos and freshman guard Mackenzie Gamble. Next it was outside shooting that buoyed the Ichabods offensive attack, starting with an outside hit by senior guard Shae Sanchez followed by consecutive triples by senior guard Hunter Bentley.

The outside barrage was capped off by Gamble, who knocked one down at the buzzer before halftime to make it a 38-29 game.

Washburn scored its first seven possessions in the third quarter, starting with two baskets by Oliver and ending with another three-pointer by Gamble to make it a 54-34 game with 5:58 left in the quarter.

“They played hard. It was good to see the ball go into the basket, it was a great assist night,” said head coach Ron McHenry.

Turnovers and fouls by the Ichabods allowed Rogers State back in it, as they went on a 12-2 run to make it a ten-point game. They would pull within single digits before the quarter ended with a 57-48 score.

Seniors settled Washburn down to begin the fourth, with Bentley and Sanchez each hitting a three-pointer to build a 15-point lead. The Hillcats began to pressure full court and fell into a zone defense which caused some problems for the Ichabods, but also slowed the game down.

“They run a funny zone where they are in the passing lanes and getting a lot of hands on the ball and we were having a hard time getting inside of it … but I thought we handled it pretty good,” McHenry said.

Washburn continued to dominate on the offensive and defensive boards. A basket from freshman forward Lauren Cassaday coming from an offensive rebound made the lead 17 with 4:27 left.
Each side was sloppy with turnovers down the stretch. The Ichabods were able to convert more opportunities to extend the lead before emptying the bench and leaving with a 79-62 win.

“It’s a tough game, so just getting a couple wins, you know a little confidence, I mean I can tell practice to practice we got a little confidence in us, a little swagger, it’s a huge deal,” McHenry said.

Bentley led the way with 15 points while also adding five assists, Sanchez and Oliver joined her in double figures with 14 each. Cassaday pulled down 11 of the teams 46 rebounds while Barrientos dished out six of a season-high 25 assists for Washburn.

“Obviously we didn’t start out the season the way we wanted to, the way we intended, but it’s a long season and that doesn’t mean that we can’t flip it around and get some wins,” Sanchez said. “We all have the same goal. A couple of losses isn’t going to deter us from going after what we intend to do this season.”

The win moved the Ichabods to 3-7 on the year and 2-3 in conference play. The team will go on a small break, returning to action Dec. 29 against Bethany College.

Edited by Alyssa Storm and Ellie Walker