Coming off an undefeated week, Washburn women’s basketball looked to keep its momentum going with a midweek matchup against Newman Jan. 26. A win over the Jets who had lost 13 straight entering the day would give the 7-9 Ichabods a winning record in conference play and a three-game winning streak.

It was not a pretty start for Washburn as they turned the ball over three times the first five minutes and shot only 1-5 from the field over that time, resulting in a 2-5 deficit. The next seven points for the Ichabods came from the bench, with two baskets by sophomore forward Abby Oliver and a three from senior guard Shae Sanchez to tie the game at nine after 10 minutes.

The lid stayed on the basket in the second quarter with both teams shooting less than 33% combined through 15 minutes as Newman maintained a slight lead through the midway point. Back-to-back baskets by freshman forward Lauren Cassaday gave Washburn back the lead going into halftime with a 15-14 advantage.

“In that first half we got some stops, and we got some looks. We just didn’t hit them and got a little antsy,” McHenry said.

It was more of the same to begin the third quarter with no scoring from the Ichabods until Oliver got an offensive rebound and layup at the 5:48 mark. Offense for the Jets was just as destitute as they only managed four points in the first five minutes.

“That is the biggest thing I can say about this team is no matter what is going on we usually have our defense,” said sophomore guard Macy Doebele. “Everyone grinds and that is a huge part of it. That is something we have all committed to doing.”

Washburn managed some success offensively going into the post to end the third quarter, getting three points from Cassaday and four from Doebele as part of an 11-0 run to lead 28-18 after three quarters.

“That has kind of been where our offense is going good is if we get it inside. We don’t need to score inside but just get that movement from inside to outside,” Doebele said.

The pace of the game stayed at a crawl in the fourth quarter with the Jets running the clock down each possession and getting to the free throw line to pull within seven points at the 5:45 mark.

“They aren’t going to let you score that much. The first half if we had hit a bunch of those shots they would have had to speed up their game,” McHenry said. “I thought the kids stayed patient and pressured the other team enough to bother them.”

The response came via the second three-pointer of the game by Sanchez, making it a 12-point lead for the Ichabods with 3:15 left to play.

Two more three’s by Sanchez with under a minute to play made her the first player on either side to eclipse 10 points scored.

The defense of Washburn held strong as they were able to hold Newman to only 30 points in the game, the second least given up in conference play in the last ten seasons as they claimed a 47-30 win.

“She played well, and the inside kids played well. There was a lot of pick and roll action going to them,” McHenry said. “In the first half we got some stops … the defense was good.”

The Ichabods were led by Sanchez’s 14 points, Doebele was also in double figures with 10. Senior guard Nuria Barrientos led the team with eight rebounds while fellow senior guard Hunter Bentley recorded a team best four assists.

The win moved Washburn to 8-9 on the year and 6-5 in MIAA play as they captured a third straight win.

Edited by: Ellie Walker, Simran Shrestha