Following a dramatic finish against Emporia State the previous game, the 11-7 Washburn men’s basketball looked to avoid needing late game heroics altogether as they played host to the 4-11 Newman Jets Jan. 26.

The Ichabods offense was humming early as they rattled off 21 points in less than 10 minutes of play. Sophomore guard Connor Deffebaugh was able to get downhill as well as knock down a three-pointer in his 4-4 effort that netted him nine early points as Washburn led by as many as 10.

“It was definitely a point of emphasis to get out in attack mode, get out in transition to start the game. We kind of got downhill and got some easy shots,” said senior guard Tyler Geiman.

After forcing six turnovers in the first ten minutes, the Ichabods defense slipped allowing Newman to go on an 11-4 run over three minutes to pull within three points. The run was halted with a three from Geiman to put him in double figures.

Washburn picked up intensity on both sides in the final five minutes, turning a three-point lead into a 17-point lead by turning offense into defense. Geiman led the charge with six points in the 14-0 run all on drives to the basket, as well as collecting three assists in the stretch.

“We had a really good spurt there (with) about four or five minutes to go in the first half. We went on a really good run and played some really good ball for about five minutes,” said head coach Brett Ballard. “We did a great job setting the tone defensively and extending that lead.”

The lead stayed the same going into halftime after a buzzer-beating three-pointer by sophomore guard Tyler Nelson to give the Ichabods a 46-29 lead.

Washburn did not waste any time in the second half extending its lead, scoring the first eight points with four coming from senior forward Jeremy Harrell.

A balanced offensive attack continued to pay off for the Ichabods, with the lead growing to 32 points after a three-pointer from freshman guard Levi Braun with 12 to play. Geiman continued to be at the controls of the offense, as he reached 20 points and 10 assists in the game before the ten minute mark.

The lead stayed near 30 points through the middle stages of the half into the final five minutes as Washburn began to work its bench into the action.

“(It is) Definitely good to get some other guys in. They have been working hard in practice every day so that was good to see,” Geiman said.

In that time freshman forward Andrew Orr put in five points to help keep the lead above 30 as the Ichabods left with a 91-60 win, the second largest of its season.

“We clearly are playing better. We got some continuity with the guys that are in there, but that being said, looking at our schedule it doesn’t get easy and that starts Saturday against a top-10 team in the country coming in,” Ballard said.

Geiman led Washburn with both 20 points and 10 assists, while also knocking down three triples. Deffebaugh scored 15 points on an efficient 7-10 shooting while Harrell added 12 points and 11 rebounds.

The Ichabods will stay at home and welcome No. 9 ranked University of Central Oklahoma to Lee Arena Jan. 29.

Edited by: Ellie Walker , Simran Shrestha